The Ultimate Shinobi
by soundless steps
Summary: A highly detailed story on the rebirth of the Ultimate Shinobi and the deciding events and individuals that lead to this.  Heavily Hinata-centric, insane OC, and use of aspects from other anime. SEQUEL ANNOUNCEMENT!
1. Prologue: Chapter 1

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

_**I may …create-something.. improvised-by- … combining-the.. above.**_

**This is my first long-term story, so don't expect perfection. I will update every Sunday. You should expect each chapter excluding this one to be at least 3000 words long give or take, mostly give. One of the things I pride myself most in this story is my ability to avoid any and all plot holes. If anyone manages to find one, point it out so that I can confirm that it was an honest mistake. I will not only correct it but also release an extra chapter as soon as possible, so look carefully. I won't release two chapters on the same day though. Now I give you the disclaimer.**

**One more thing. I have a very funny OC in this story if you go far enough. I am talking about Tobi episode 99 funny.  
**

_**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND WILL ONLY SAY THIS ONCE!**_

**SUMMARY: A prophecy predicting an endless night, a man seeking a doomed revenge, a pair of determined students, and the most powerful shinobi to ever exist. How will these four factors connect in a single outcome?  
**

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**About thirteen years before the Kyūbi attack, during the Iwa/Konoha war.**

Kunai sailed through the air attempting to hit a single target, a fairly aged man wearing a large black cloak that covered everything but the forearms and the head. His arms were bare not including a blue wristband with a scroll tied to it on the left and a red wristband on the right, each with a gemstone of the corresponding color. He had quite a few wrinkles along with short spiky gray hair and a long thick mustache coming down to his chest area. His wizened brown eyes showed experience far beyond even his advance years. He leaped through the trees with agility and speed that would be thought to be impossible for someone like him.

Dozens of kunai flew by him, yet strangely enough, a fair number of them hit the cloak but simply wound up coming out the other side. A stray kunai passed by the man slightly grazing the blue wristband, almost cutting the string keeping the scroll attached to it. The man looked at the wristband then looked back with a scowl. Behind him were five men wearing brown jonin outfits. Around their foreheads were headbands adorned with metal plates. In the center of each were etchings looking like a large rock behind a smaller one.

The man looked back to his front and doubled his evasive efforts. With an old and tired voice he said, "That was far too close. If I don't lose them soon it could mean dire consequences. Why can't those _baka_ realize that everything I do is for the good of everyone, not just Iwa? All they care about is their own strength or making sure their enemies remain as weak as possible, regardless of the consequences. I have never led them wrong before and now, _when it is most important_, they decide _not_ to trust me. I was against this war from the beginning and _now_ the future may depend on their enemy. No mater, this just means that they no longer deserve my loyalty. The problem is that I need to ditch them."

As soon as those words were finished, a single kunai with two extra points branching off of the center and a slip of paper tied to the back passed him and through the pursuing shinobi's area. After a flash of yellow light all of them began to drop like flies, completely clueless to what happened to them. In the center of the area where they were was a single man wearing the green flak jacket of Konoha with the dark blue clothes under it. His back was turned so that you could only see his bright yellow hair and the knot of his headband.

Even without seeing his face, the elder man knew full well who it was. "Fancy running into you here of all places, I expected you to be in the front lines. Instead I find you deep within the territory of your own country. Regardless, your timing is impeccable."

The blond man turned around revealing a set of large sideburns that framed his face almost down to his chin. His blue eyes were as sharp as any blade the cloaked man has ever seen, filled with unwavering determination. His voice was as fierce as his eyes along with an underlying kindness as he spoke. "Can you tell me why Iwa shinobi would be chasing you?"

The elder waved his hand dismissively. "I see no reason not to. For years I have had a temporary alliance with Iwa as an individual. Unfortunately, the time has come for me to go elsewhere and they were not very _keen_ on letting me go even though I told them that the alliance would be a _temporary_ one when I first joined them, _but you know how people are_. Once they get used to something positive, it is hard for them to change back. One of the many flaws of society, don't you think so?"

The Konoha shinobi narrowed his eyes at the suspiciousness of the elderly man then spoke commandingly. "With what you have just told me, I see no reason to trust you. Explain your purposes."

The elder man laughed. "I see that you are not one to mince words Yellow Flash." His expression became hard and his tone, serious. "I to, will not mince my words. Something horrible is about to happen. I am quite certain that if it is not stopped, hundreds if not _thousands_ of innocent lives will be lost in a blink of an eye. The only possible way to prevent this is to get this scroll to your village." He held out his left arm showing off the blue wristband and the scroll. "This must be placed anywhere close to the Hokage's office. When it comes time, the acting Hokage will be able to open it and read its contents. I implore you, fulfill my request."

The Yellow Flash closed his eyes and crossed his arms, contemplating the proposition. "If you speak the truth, then that would mean that you hold no allegiance with any country but with life itself. Regardless, how am I supposed to know that there isn't an Iwa shinobi sealed within the scroll, prepared for an attempt at Hokage-sama's life?"

"As long as the room the scroll is place in is not soundproofed, it will do. Nothing else really matters."

The jonin opened his eyes and gazed at the other man fiercely. "And why _exactly_ does the scroll have to be placed in a room that is not soundproofed?"

"When it comes time for the scroll to be opened, it will give off both sound and light. Sound to alert the Hokage to its presence and light to help him or her locate it. A soundproof room defeats this purpose, _don't you think_?"

"You have still shown me no reason to trust you, but I also see no possible way that this scroll can cause any problems if I am allowed to store it however I chose and to look at it beforehand." He leaped from the branch to the one next to the other man. The blond reached for the outstretched arm, but not to grab the scroll. Instead he moved to swat the older man's palm only for his own hand to pass right through. "I noticed how those kunai passed strait through you. Care to explain _how_ you are doing this?"

Laughter could be heard coming from the cloaked man. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you. The only parts of me that are tangible are my wristbands and this scroll. The only reason I can carry this scroll is because it is tied to one of my wristbands for they are the only things in this world I _can_ interact with."

"I hope you do not mind if I test this." Seeing the man spread his arms, the jonin released a flurry of punches to every part of the body excluding the wristbands, each one passing through harmlessly. After this, the man presented his red wristband which the blond proceeded to grab. Sure enough, his hands were able to come in contact with them. "What would happen if these wristbands were to be removed?"

"Like I said, these wristbands are the only way I have to interact with the world excluding the bottoms of my feet. And even if I were to kick someone, only I would feel the effects. I would be little more than a phantom." That instant, he launched a kick faster than the jonin expected from such an old looking man. The result was the kick connecting solidly.

Despite the fact that he could not feel a thing the blond could tell that the kick connected with him by the way the elder mans legs buckled. "It appears that you have yet to lie to me. Will you by chance tell me the true contents of the scroll? That should do no harm."

"If you must know, it is a mission request. I would expect it to be A-ranked because Iwa shinobi may still be after me when the mission is assigned. As for the payment, it is well worth it as all those lives I spoke of will be saved along with a considerable increase in Konoha's power. That is all I will tell you for now."

The jonin's eye widened noticeably then he blinked. "If this is about a mission request, then why don't you take it to Konoha yourself instead of asking me to do so?"

"I rather not explain all of this again to your Hokage. It would be easier if you do it for me"

The blond got into a position for contemplating all that he has heard. His piercing blue eyes snapped open reveling the usual fierce gaze. "I will do this for you, but if you betray my trust, I will seek you out and take those wristbands from you, considering I can't kill you"

"Arigato Yellow Flash. I hope that I will be able to gain your full trust in time, sayonara." The man left after allowing the scroll to slide of the blue wristband by dropping his arm.

The Yellow Flash bent down and picked up the scroll. Standing strait, he stared in the direction the strange old man left. "Just who in the world was that man and what are his intentions?"

**Back with the old man.**

The elder man walked through the forest floor with a smile under his long mustache. "That actually went far better than I expected. I won't have to worry anymore until the mission is assigned." His eyes became serious and his forehead became shadowed. "I am curious though. With every one of my predictions before now, something good came from the fulfillment of those predictions. Conversely, every time one wasn't fulfilled, there were dire consequences. The wording of each always reflected this. So why now is the wording so negative? I fairly comprehend the first three lines, but the meaning of the last one completely eludes me." He sighed, letting his head drop slightly. "Oh well. I may figure it out when the time comes."

"From the same tree of grief.

A dark leaf, a light leaf.

When these leaves, meet as one.

They will stop the rising sun."

**About a year before the Kyūbi attack, at the gate of Amegakure**

A single man completely covered in a dark cloak left Amegakure as the gate closed behind him. His face was completely cast in shadow. In a voice filled with hurt and anger, he spoke. "I promise you this. As soon as I know I am strong enough, I will return to this village and take my revenge upon you. Just you wait, you _will_ pay for the wrong you have inflicted on me. But before then, I will succeed at everything that you have failed to _even attempt_. I will _not_ be what you want me to be."

**Little did this man know, his chance for revenge will be taken from him a year and a half later by a man going by the name of Pein.**

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**Please go into my biography and check out the stories I have written about there. Trust me when I say that reading any of them is not a waste of time, especially the ones at the top of the list.**


	2. Waking Up: Chapter 2

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

**_I may …create-something.. improvised-by- … combining-the.. above._**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. An old man being chased by Iwa jonin encountered the Yellow Flash, who killed the pursuers. After some convincing, the man got the famous shinobi to take a mission scroll back to the Hokage saying that many lives would be saved with the missions success. Elsewhere after many years, a single man leaves Amegakure making two pledges. The first saying he will kill the one who wronged him. The second saying he will try his best to be unlike that very person.)

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Florescent light beamed down upon the face of a young blond spiky haired teen. He was covered by the white sheets of the bed he was resting upon. His forehead and most of his cheeks were covered in bandages. Three short dashes could be seen on each cheek disappearing into the bandages.

His eyes fluttered as he began to slowly awaken. Each of his senses came to him one by one, starting with the feeling of the soft bedding under him and the thick sheets over him.

Next came his hearing, which had but one sound to respond to. All he could hear was the sound of someone else's breathing, sounding spastic and labored. After three seconds, seemingly three hours, he realized the spasmodic breathing was high pitched, yet remarkably soft.

Curious about the sound, the boy forced his eyes to open, ignoring the bright light. He turned his head towards the sound, only to see a midnight-blue and beige blur in the middle of a white haze, due to his current visual disorientation. Just then, the midnight-blue part moved up slightly.

As his vision began to become sharper, the blur quickly moved away from him. Just as he could make out the shape of the blur, it pulled out part of the white background and moved past it. This was instantly followed by a loud bang of a sound.

The boy laid there confused as he noticed the unfortunately familiar scent of a sterilize hospital room. He quickly realized this and began to think back to the many times he has found himself awakening inside of a hospital bed.

In a thinking mood, which is rare for the normally hyperactive knucklehead, he began to attempt remembering the reasons behind his current visit.

He abruptly sat up, briefly unaware of the pain all over his body, more predominantly, his chest and shoulder, yelling the reason for him being there. "SASUKE"

**Flashback. This is completely cannon. Skip if you wish.**

A massive waterfall cascaded down into a large lake below it. The landscape had evidence of recent damage in the form of many craters and a single trench that looked like it was dug up from beneath the ground.

On both sides of the waterfall stood the statues of two different men, each being fifty percent taller than the waterfall.

The statue on the left had long spiky that came down to the cliff behind it. It wore samurai style amour with overlapping rectangular plates covering the upper arms, the body, and the front of the legs.

The statue on the right had smooth hair that came down his back narrowly avoiding reaching the cliff behind it. It also wore samurai style armor the same way as the other. The difference was that the armor looked like a tiled floor.

Both held their right hand in front of their faces, forming a one-handed ram seal. This is The Valley of the End.

On the ankle of the statue on the right side was another crater. In the crater was the blond teen covered in a red aura with an orange tint that took the shape of a fox with long ears and no snout. Three very broad whisker marks could be seen on his cheeks. His usually vibrant yellow hair was a much duller color. His hair was also even spikier as even the spikes had spikes. The usual blue in his eyes was now the same red as the aura but deeper, surrounding slit pupils. Along with these modifications, his canines were sharper and longer as were his nails, now claws.

He was wearing an orange jumpsuit that was blue around the shoulders and at the bottom. In the center of his back, were blue met orange was a thick red spiral. On the left shoulder was a similar spiral made of wood and tied to the jumpsuit. The orange pants covered all of his legs stopping at a pair of blue sandals. Bandages were tied around his left knee over the pants.

He stared at a small figure at the other side of the falls, someone who has been many different things to the blond; a rival, a teammate, an acquaintance, a friend, and now an enemy.

Throughout the battle, the blond had to watch as his friend transformed not only psychologically, but physically as well. What stood before him now may have once been a person, but now, he's a monster.

The other stood on the other side of the waterfall in a crater at the other statue's ankle. His long light-grey spiky hair came down to his mid-back. His skin was a darker shade of grey. His lips were black giving the appearance of him wearing makeup. Over the nose was a black mark looking like a bird flying down his face. The two wings went under the eyes, the tail up the nose, and the beak all the way down his nose. All the parts were strait and pointed. The white of any person's eyes was black in his eyes. His pupils were the normal black but his irises were blood red with three tomoe around each pupil that were perfectly centered and spaced.

He wore white shorts that came down to his knees and bandages over lower portion of both legs. Covering his body was a high collar dark blue shirt. The most monstrous trait was the massive hand like wings coming out of his back, each large enough to wrap around the very body they were attached to. The scarce feathers of the wings took the shape of fingers. Printed on the shirt just between the wings was a fan. The handle was white and the fanning portion was a plain red.

Both young teens stared each other down, preparing themselves for the final attack. The killing intent being released by both was intense enough to cripple any lesser man.

The winged boy looked at his clawed hands. "Well Naruto, this is where our bonds end. By tomorrow, those bonds will be severed and you would be dead."

The blond growled at his old friend and scowled deeply, adding to his ferocious look.

The human bird chuckled darkly. "Oh right. We said that the time for talk is over. Fine then, let us finish this, once and for all."

The blond growled once again then pulled his right hand back, forming a purple orb with countless numbers of thin strands spiraling within it.

In response, Sasuke began forming the hand seals for his strongest attack. Finished, he held his left hand just in front of his face with the elbow bent at a ninety degree angle with his left hand placed over his bicep. He pushed the remainder of his energy into his hand which became surrounded in crackling blue electricity. He then spread his legs apart and hunched over allowing him to bring his energized hand close to the ground with his other hand over his wrist. He pushed even more power into the attack turning it an eerie black.

Naruto roared as he crouched down to prepare to leap for his opponent.

The friend turned traitor lifted the massive gray hands and gracefully swung his energized hand behind himself, mirroring his foes attacking position.

Both stood frozen in their positions, a hair trigger from launching their attack. A steady breeze blew down the waterfall, ruffling the spiky hair of both until it stopped.

At that moment the teens leapt at the other with untraceable speeds. All Naruto could hear beyond the wind rushing past his ears was the deafening sound reminiscing of countless chirping birds. Upon reaching striking distance, both foes launched their attacks with all the strength their small bodies possessed.

"RASENGAN!"

"CHIDORI!"

Time slowed to a crawl for both of the foes, the single instant of attack appearing to be an eternity to the previous friends.

Seeing that his heart was the target of Sasuke's attack, Naruto trust his arm under the arm aimed at his vital organ. He then angled his Rasengan up towards his opponent's forehead, effectively redirecting the Chidori up and away from his heart. Naruto remembered his promise to bring Sasuke back to the village alive and canceled his attack just before connecting. He instead, placed a large gash on the leaf forehead protector over his target's forehead.

Using Naruto's moment of hesitation to his advantage, Sasuke forced his arm down just far enough to pierce trough the blonde's left shoulder, bone and all.

The mere physical collision of these superpowers resulted in a grand flash followed deafening explosion with a matching gust of wind that would topple most men.

As visibility returned, the two hurtled towards the ground on the left side, pushed into that direction by the greater force behind the blonds leap. During the plummet, both young teens reverted to their original forms.

The red aura surrounding Naruto faded out of existence. His blond hair became less wild. His eyes lost their slits and became a brilliant blue. The sharp nails and canines shortened and became duller. And finally, the broad whisker marks on his face became paper thin.

Sasuke lost his wings and his skin turned its normal white color. His eye color turned to black as the white portion returned. His hair shortened to its usual spikes and turned black. The nails, fangs, sharp nails, and cross mark also vanished.

Upon landing, Naruto tumbled over the ground until he came to a stop face down. He looked up just in time to see his surrogate brother land graceful on the ground, loosing only his forehead protector in the process. Naruto had to watch as his friend slowly walked away, not even once looking back.

Unable to call out to him due to his severe injuries, Naruto could only continue watching as his escaped friend disappeared into the nearby forest. Desperate to keep what little of his friend he could, Naruto dragged himself forward using his legs, right arm, and chin until he reached his target. Forcing his still usable right arm forward, the blond grabbed the discarded forehead protector, gripping it with the last of his life's energy.

**Flashback end.**

"KUSO," he shouted as he slammed his left fist on his leg, giving his mind a chance to realize the pain he was in. Wincing, he fell back onto the soft hospital bed and relaxed.

After taking a deep breath, he noticed another unfortunately familiar scent, the scent of tears. "That person from before was crying. I am sure it was a girl but who was she? It couldn't have been Sakura, so who."

Speaking that name, Naruto looked down sadly and remembered the promise he made to that very person.

**Flashback. This one has some changes.**

The blond stood in front of a massive gate behind him along with four others. In front of him were another two, a girl and a boy. Naruto looked directly at the girl with all the sympathy his eyes could project.

She had short pink hair reaching only to the bottom of her neck. She was wearing a cheap red kimono coming down just down bellow her knees. On the back was a large white circle with a mostly red center. She held her head down revealing the standard Konoha forehead protector she wore on the top of her head much like one would wear a ribbon. The only movement she was making was the rubbing of her eyes with her fist in a futile attempt to stop the flowing of her tears. "Onigai, bring Sasuke-kun back. I-I tried, but couldn't convince him to stay. Onigai Naruto, you are the only one left who can bring him back."

"Don't worry Sakura-chan. I will bring Sasuke back, I promise."

Sakura dropped her fist and looked up at the blond with her newly revealed emerald green eyes. Naruto angled the right side of his body towards her and held the corresponding hand strait out, giving her a thumbs up. Plastered on his face was the biggest grin he could muster.

Behind Naruto, a black haired teen wearing a forest green flack jacket looked at the conversing pair lazily. "It is time for us to leave." A while after the five closest to the gate finished preparing their strategy; they disappeared in the horizon beyond the gate.

Sakura's confidence in them began to waiver until she felt a comforting hand on her right shoulder. She turned her head back towards the strangest looking of all of her friends.

He had a soup bowl haircut and rectangular eyebrows three times the height and thickness of normal eyebrows. Below those massive brows was a set of the most perfectly round eyes you will ever see in your life. He wore a green leotard with orange leg warmers around his ankles and lower leg and his forehead protector around his waist, held there by the dark red cloth. He was leaning on a crutch on his left side. "Do not worry Sakura-chan. Naruto-kun gave you the nice guy pose _did he not_? That signifies that he did not make a normal promise but a _promise of a lifetime_. He will not break it."

The strange looking teen took his hand off of Sakura's shoulder giving her a chance to face him completely. "How can you be so sure Lee? Missions don't always succeed."

Lee himself assumed the nice guy pose. "I am sure that Naruto-kun will succeed on the mission. If in the small chance that he does not succeed, _I promise that I will spar with him for six hours strait_.

Sakura's worried expression became more scrutinizing. "You just got out of surgery. Do you actually _think_ that you're in a good condition for sparing?

The round eyed boy stood strait and flexed his left arm in front of himself, and clenched his hand into a fist, a fire burning in his eyes. "Alas, if that were not the case, I would promise to spar for twelve hours strait."

Sakura almost fell forward in a face fault letting her arms dangle towards the ground and followed the action with an exasperated sigh. After two seconds, she stood strait and faced Lee with closed eyes and a soft smile. "Arigato Lee."

He looked at her dumbly for a while but eventually replied. "You-you're welcome Sakura-chan." She smiled warmly then walked away. Before following her, Lee looked up at the sky with tears running down his cheeks. "I will win your love yet my dear Sakura-chan."

**Flashback end.**

"I couldn't keep my promise to Sakura-chan." Thanks to his fast recovery rate, the pain in his body subsided enough for him to sit up in the period of time it took him to remember those recent events.

He turned his head towards the door in the room as he heard the sound of the door knob being turned. Through the door, in walked a mid-aged nurse with strait brown hair reaching halfway down her shoulder blades. She stared at the blond boy looking at her with narrowed eyes. With distaste in her voice, she said, "It appears you're awake. I will go and inform Hokage-sama of this development." She exited the room silently.

Naruto's blue eyes turned towards the uninteresting white tilled floor as he turned to face the door, his legs hanging off the edge of the bed limply.

After a few minuets of looking at the tiles, he heard the sound of the door knob turning. Before he could look up at the opening door, Naruto found his face connecting with the very tiles he was looking at so intently.

As he stood back up with an angry expression. "Owwwww!" He looked up at the woman responsible for his grounding. Her dull framed her face completely in the front while in the back, it was tied into two low ponytails. Her eyes were a golden brown. She wore light pink lipstick and a tiny purple diamond shaped mark on her forehead. For cloths, she wore a green coat over a grey top that did little to hid a pair of melons almost as big as her head. A large black cloth was wrapped around the waist. Covering her lower body was a simple pair of tight dark blue pants that loosen and end past the knees. "What did you do that for Tsunade Obaa-chan?

A vein bulged on the forehead of the already angry woman only half a second before she once again sent the tactless blond towards the tiles. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that before you get it in your thick skull?" The rant continued until it came to a totally different subject. "I can't believe how much of a baka you are. You shouldn't have pushed yourself so hard. The chakra exhaustion alone should have been the death of you. Couple that with the injuries you received in your battle, any normal person would have died. You are actually quite lucky that you aren't exactly normal. There won't even be any unsightly scars anywhere on your body due to your tenant."

The young blond was touched by the concern being show to him and prepared to comment on that, but that would be out of character for him. "Even if I had scars, I'm sure that a woman in her fifties who uses jutsu to make it look like she is in her twenties would know plenty about hiding anything unsightly." After Naruto's unbelievably stupid comment, he was once again reintroduced to the hospital floor. "Owwwww! That still hurts in case you didn't know."

Tsunade began to rub her temples in an effort to dull the headache she was beginning to develop courtesy of the blond loudmouth before her. Instead of continuing the banter between him and her, Tsunade decided to switch to a much quieter subject. "Naruto," she said in a calm tone.

"Yeah Obaa-chan."

The veins on her forehead once again bulged but she reigned herself in. "I want to tell you that all of your teammates were injured during the mission. Some are worse off than others. I also must inform you that the mission was a failure."

Naruto looked down with a sad expression on his face. "How bad is it?"

"Choji was first to return and suffered poisoning from eating all three of the special Akimichi food pills. Neji came next with some serious wounds including a hole strait through his shoulder. Kiba had two kunai wounds dangerously close to being fatal while his partner Akamaru is pretty beat up. Shikamaru only suffered a broken pinky. Lee, who went on the mission without permission came back with a few cracked ribs. Luckily I can honestly say that everyone will make a full recovery. It probably would have turned out much worse if you did not convince me to become The Fifth Hokage."

"Oh, that's good. But Sasuke still got away."

"Don't beat yourself up about it. Sometimes missions fail. You couldn't help it."

"Even so, I promised Sakura-chan that I would bring Sasuke back to her. I failed at keeping that promise."

"There is nothing you can do about it right now. Just stay here and rest for a while."

Naruto looked up at the door with an expression of fierce determination gracing his bandaged face. "I _can't_ rest yet. I am going training until I am strong enough to bring Sasuke back to the village, _for Sakura-chan_."

Before the young blond could even stand up, Tsunade had him pined to the bed, unable to get back up no matter how much he flailed his arms and legs. The powerhouse spoke in a controlled but angry tone. "You're _not_ going anywhere. You are _not_ to leave this room for three days."

"NANI, THREE DAYS! I CAN'T WAIT HERE THAT LONG." Naruto's flailing became more erratic but Tsunade held him firm.

"You are _not_ leaving this room. You have been out of it for thirty-six hours. You are not ready to leave this hospital yet. Besides, you will be leaving the village in week anyways."

Naruto stopped flailing giving Tsunade a chance to back off and relax. Naruto quickly stood up and moved to Tsunade's front hunched over with a fist at each side of his face forming his childish excited posture. He looked up at her face while holding the rest of his position. "RELLY TSUNADE OBAA-CHAN. YOU'RE SENDING ME AFTER SASUKE ALLREADY. ARIGATO OBAA-CHAN."

Tsunade started to rub her temples again and looked at her fellow blond with narrowed eyes. "No, I am not sending you after Sasuke. By time you leave, it would have been nearly nine days. When that kami-forsaken snake Orochimaru is involved, that is plenty of time to disappear off the radar. Instead your time outside of the village will be spent training under Jiraiya. You will be gone for three years."

"NANI, THREE YEARS! AND WHY DO I HAVE TO GO WITH ERO-SENNIN!"

Tsunade continued to rub her temples with now glowing green fingers. "You're going with Jiraiya because _he_ is the one most qualified to train you. And protect you. The reason I am telling you this now is so you have a chance to speak to all of your friends before you leave. This includes your teammates for your last mission and their teammates. Make sure you don't forget _anybody_."

As if on cue, the door opened, causing both blonds to look at the person coming into the room. The young teenage boy had pitch black hair that was tied back in a tight, short, and spiky ponytail. Under his forest green flack jacket was a light grey t-shirt, but you could only see the sleeves which went halfway to the elbow. Each sleeve had a dark blue circle with a line strait through the middle of it. The left sleeve had the addition of the Konoha forehead protector stitched to the shoulder portion. In his left ear was a small half inch hoop earring. His eyes were dark and half lidded as if it took too much energy to keep them completely open. He stood in a lazy slouched position with his left hand in his pocket. The other hand hung loosely down his side as a splint was placed on the pinky.

The young loudmouth waved at the arrival of one of his friends. "Hey there Shikamaru, you're just in time."

"Hai, I overheard what you two were saying. I guess I will be seeing you in three years?"

Naruto's expression went from happy to frustrated. "Man Shikamaru, you are _so lazy_. I can't believe you _ever_ became a chunin.

The known chunin waved lazily at the blond, infuriating him, as he walked out the door.

Tsunade looked at the other blond with a neutral expression. "_Well_, I will be leaving as well Naruto. If you try to leave this room before the three days are up and I will personally make sure that you will be_ unable _to leave the room until the full week is up." Tsunade moved dangerously close to Naruto in the middle of her short speech.

The blond cringed knowing full well that the temperamental Hokage would follow up on that threat. He stood up and looked down at himself only to notice that he is once again wearing the 'dress' that is usually given to all hospital patients that stay there overnight. It didn't take his blue eyes long to locate his usual orange jumpsuit on the wall opposite of the bed. Not in the mood to keep wearing the outfit, Naruto immediately changed.

Now in more comfortable attire, Naruto noticed that every cut and hole that should have been on the outfit from his scuffle with Sasuke was gone. He would have confused it for a new set of clothes if it weren't for the subtle scent of his blood.

Feeling pent up, Naruto took a look at the window contemplating escape. He immediately shook his head side to side at the idea knowing that it would be extraordinarily difficult to hide his departure from the Hokage for long. Instead he decided to just do some working out so he doesn't become weakened. Besides, Tsunade just said he couldn't leave.

**Elsewhere in another hospital bed on the same floor.**

A young teenage girl began to awaken as her eyelids fluttered lightly. Her entire body up to the neck was covered in blankets. Her hair was a dark indigo color under the dimmed light of the hospital room. The bangs covered the entire forehead. Framing each side of her face was a set of neatly combed tufts of hair that went just bellow her chin. The rest of her hair was cut very short and hugged her head closely except at ear level where it spread away from her head and back.

After a few more seconds of fluttering, her eyes finally opened. Both the pupil and iris were the same creamy white color with a lavender tint that was unnoticeable unless you looked at them very closely. She took notice of the still present tingling of a cold sweat all over her body. That was all she needed to know that she fainted from embarrassment, again.

Her expression became sad as she spoke in her soft near inaudible voice. "Why can't I just talk to him? It has been three days since he left on that mission. Those days _have_ been pretty hectic for me. I guess that is what worrying can do to a girl."


	3. Three Days Past: Chapter 3

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

_**I may …create-something.. improvised-by- … combining-the.. above.**_

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Naruto woke up in the hospital after attempting to retrieve Sasuke. After some reminiscing, he was visited by the Hokage, Tsunade. She was there mainly to tell him that he would be leaving on a three year training trip. Overhearing this part of the conversation Shikamaru entered the room to let Naruto know that he knows. Naruto is then forbidden to leave the room for three days, an order he grudgingly accepts. In another room, a girl wakes up after fainting. After talking to herself, she begins to recall the events of the past three days.)

* * *

That very same girl walked along the familiar path to the training ground that she and her team have used a countless number of times for yet another afternoon training session. The leaves of the surrounding forest rustled in a gentle breeze. A small group of songbirds flew over the girl as she looked towards the clear blue sky.

Under the light of the bright sun, her hair was a midnight blue that gave off a metallic blue sheen wherever light struck it directly. The color was similar to that of ink. She wore a beige hooded jacket zipped all the way up with thick white fuzz at the end of the arm length sleeves and at the bottom of the jacket. In the middle of each sleeve was a yellow circle surrounding a red mark looking like comet with the tail moving up her arm. Covering her lower body was a pair of pants exactly like Tsunade's. Her dark blue sandals covered everything but her toes. A weapons pouch could be seen over her left cheek.

She eventually arrived at the training ground to find only her sensei standing in the middle, her teammates absent. The woman had black hair cascading down to her mid-back. Her eyes were crimson with matching lipstick. Her outfit looked like it was made out of a single very long white roll of cloth with a black center wrapped over a fishnet undershirt continuously. It was still decent as it covered everything from the mid-thighs up. Her left arm was bare excluding the bandages from her elbow down to her fingers. The right arm had a long crimson sleeve. She looked at her young student with a kind expression. "There you are Hinata. Good to see you are on time as usual."

"Ano, Kurenai-sensei, w-where are Kiba-kun, Akamaru-chan, a-and Shino-kun?"

"Shino went on a mission with his father Shibi Aburame. Apparently a member from an old bug using clan is causing trouble. Kiba and Akamaru just went on a mission to chase after Sasuke Uchiha who has been taken from the village recently through the western gate."

"Oh. H-hai. D-did they go alone?"

"No, they left with Shikamaru as the team leader, Choji, your cousin Neji, and Naruto."

The timid girl's pale lavender eyes went into a widened state for about five seconds before her face relaxed. "I-I guess that makes sense be-because they are t-teammates. D-do you know why S-Sakura-san didn't go?"

The jonin released an exasperated sigh. "Sakura-san didn't go on the mission because she would have more than likely been a burden and slowed the team down." It took only an instant for Kurenai to recognize the signs of Hinata's despair as she began looking at the grass. "It is nothing like that Hinata. I am sure they would have taken you along as well if it weren't for the fact that they did not have much time left to look for more teammates to take along with them. You are not weak like your father has told you. If he wasn't the Hyuga head I would make him pay for what he has done to her."

"H-hai, I understand Kurenai-sensei." Hinata still kept her eyes fixed on the grass at her feet because she was so easily read and because she was still convinced that she was the weakling of her team.

Both Kurenai's eyes and tone of voice switched as she changed into to sensei mode. "Hinata, we won't be able to do any training because I have to go on a mission that may last a few days. I will see you later."

"H-hai Kurenai-sensei. I understand."

Kurenai's personality switched again as she knelt down and placed her right hand on her young students left shoulder, causing the distraught Hyuga to look up into her sensei's crimson eyes. "Hinata, don't listen to anyone but your friends. Don't let those other people tell you that you are weak. Only your friends can and will tell you how strong you truly are."

Hinata's tone was disbelieving as she once again looked at the ground. "M-my f-friends?"

"Hai Hinata, your friends. You have a fine friend in nearly all of your fellow young shinobi. You've got your teammates Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji of Team Ten. You can rely on Tenten, Rock Lee, and even your cousin Neji as well. I am sure you can trust Sakura and of course the one person who would never lie to you... Naruto."

Hinata could not help but look up with wide pale lavender eyes. "Na-Na-Naruto-kun."

"Hai Hinata. Now, I have spent enough time here. I must get started on my mission."

The Hyuga looked back at the ground. "Oh, g-g-gomen Kurenai-sensei. I d-didn't m-mea..."

"That is enough of that Hinata. This was time well spent. No need to apologize to me." The crimson eyed woman stood up from her knelt position and disappeared in a swirl of white smoke and leaves.

Alone, Hinata turned around and used the same path she took to get there to get back to the village. On her way back, Hinata began to contemplate everything her sensei just told her.

The dirt forest path soon turned into a simple paved path sided with many single or double story buildings with evidence of recent construction. Scattered in the background were a few red, green, and blue signs. The path itself had large numbers of people walking on it.

Almost as if she were on autopilot, Hinata walked the roads that will eventually lead her to the Hyuga estate. She immediately noticed when she was getting close when she saw the tall wall with shingles on the top of it with a even taller elegant gate without a door in the center of the wall. As the young Hyuga approached, she saw two white eyed guards standing at each side of the opening.

She walked through the grounds to the largest building in the center where her bedroom was located. Unfortunately she could not go there without coming close to the center room where her father always seemed to be in. As Hinata passed this room, she was not surprised to hear her father's stern voice. "Hinata, would you come in?" She knew it wasn't really a question.

She opened the sliding door and entered the large and simple room. On the opposite side of the room as herself was Hinata's father, Hiashi. He wore the simple Hyuga robes and an expression as stern as his voice. His hair was dark brown and neatly tied in the back in a very low ponytail. He sat on a small pillow in the traditional Japanese style. "H-hello Otou-sama."

"If I am not mistaken, you are supposed to be training with your team. Care to explain why you are here instead of training."

Hinata's voice was meek. "E-everyone on m-my team is o-on a mission."

The middle aged man closed his eyes and hummed. "Do you know where your cousin is?"

"N-Neji-nii-san went o-on the same m-mission a-as Kiba-kun."

Hiashi hummed once again. "I see. Your sister Hanabi will not return for another three hours. Until then, I will take over your training.

Hinata's eyes widened considerably in surprise. Her father has not done any training with her ever since she became part of Team 8. Hiashi stood up and walked to the center of the room with his eyes still closed. Facing in his daughter's direction, his eyelids suddenly flew open as a network of veins became visible next to his eyes. This is a sign that he has activated the kekkei genkai of the Hyuga clan, the Byakugan. He stared coldly at his obviously scared daughter, silently ordering her to approach.

Hesitantly, Hinata removed her oversized jacket revealing a skin tight black shirt with sleeves stopping just before her wrist. The high v-neck showed just enough to reveal the fishnet shirt she wore underneath.

Trembling, Hinata moved towards her father. After reaching him she went through series of hand seals ending with her hands clamped together with the right index finger extended vertically. This activated her own Byakugan. She then took on the Jūken fighting stance, the style created by the Hyuga clan to optimize on the abilities of the Byakugan. Hiashi mirrored her position. "Begin."

Faster than anyone can blink, the older man charged forward. Hinata tried to sidestep the attack but was too hesitant resulting in a solid palm strike to her right shoulder that would have paralyzed her arm if Hiashi had not withheld his chakra. The blow itself forced Hinata to turn and pivot to avoid falling on the ground and keep her father in view.

After taking a deep breath, Hinata stopped trembling but Hiashi could still see the fear in her eyes. Without warning, the training continued.

**Three hours later.**

The sliding door in the room opened. On the other side of the door was a very young girl. She wore the same outfit as the jacketless Hinata, had the same pale eyes of the Byakugan, and dark brown hair that was surprisingly long for her apparent age. She looked over towards Hinata with a blank expression then over towards Hiashi who was standing only a few feet from the young ink haired teen.

After a short glance towards the young addition to the room, Hiashi looked back at Hinata with his usual stern expression. "Hinata, you may retire to your room. Hanabi will now take your place in training with me. You have improved Hinata. Your reactions are surprisingly faster once you've calmed down. Even though ... there is a chance that you will never be the heir to the Hyuga clan."

"Hai Otou-sama." Her body bruised, Hinata walked towards her room grabbing her jacket along the way as to not burden one of the branch family servants with taking it up to her room for her. It was half a minute before she reached the door of her room and opened it.

Inside was a rather simple room despite the lavish appearance of the building as a whole. Everything was an average size, the bed with a nightstand beside it, the dresser with a mirror, and the closet. The only part of the room that showed any form of elegance was the presence of a private bathroom behind a door to the right.

Too exhausted to do anything else, Hinata placed her jacket on her nightstand and flopped onto the bed, planning to sleep until called out for dinner. As she tried to fall asleep, worries about Naruto's mission filled her thoughts.

About three hours later, a knock on Hinata's door woke from her nap. Although she was now aching from her training, Hinata rose from her bed and donned the beige jacket on her nightstand. The Hyuga made her way to the dinning room that was always reserved for her father and his daughters. The table used there was small, just enough space for a family of four. It was also low to the ground with pillows next to it so they can eat in the traditional Japanese fashion.

As per usual when they ate collectively, Hinata and Hanabi would sit in front of Hiashi. Hinata walked over and got into position. As they ate, Hinata realized that she has not cleaned herself up from her spar with her father. Hanabi deliberately took a long breath through her nose. "It appears that _someone_ forgot the bathe."

Even if it was just her father and sister, Hinata could not help but feel embarrassed to have her body odor pointed out like that. "Hanabi, this is not the time or the place." For one of the few times ever, Hiashi's words formed a calming effect on Hinata.

Dinner continued with the tension being thick enough to cut with a knife, at least that is how it felt to the older of the Hyuga sisters as per usual.

As soon as Hinata had finished her dinner, the pale lavender eyed girl stood up and made the trip back to her room without asking for dismissal simply because she knew doing so was unnecessary. Back in her room, Hinata turned to the right and entered her private bathroom so she could take a needed bath.

After getting clean, she put on a silk nightgown and climbed into bed. With the current lack of distractions, Hinata's thoughts once again returned to how safe her was crush on the mission.

Without any aid, Hinata woke up to the sight of soft morning sunlight filtering through her window, which she always kept locked thanks to the kidnapping attempt when she turned three. She got up, dressed in her usual cloths and left the room. After eating breakfast, she no longer wanted to stick around any longer. The Hyuga left the compound so she could take a walk within the village.

She walked along a path with buildings on the right and trees and a river on the left. The air was cool, damp, and relaxing. Song birds could be heard calling to their own kind, adding to the calming effect. Unfortunately, this had no effect on the overly worried Hyuga.

Some time before noon, she began to look around for somewhere to eat lunch. In her search, her milky lavender eyes fell upon a sign reading 'Ichiraku Ramen.' She knew full well that her crush frequented the simple food stand, but she never had the courage to visit it herself for fear of encountering him and embarrassing herself yet again. With an empty stomach and Naruto still on the mission, which she was still worried about, it was a chance to give the stand a try.

On her way in, she gently moved the segmented curtains away from her face, revealing a bar with multiple red seated stools lining it. In the kitchen in the back was an old man wearing white chef's clothes, grey hair, and a kind face. Further in the back was a pretty teenaged girl with mid length brown hair and white clothes better suited for a waitress. The man was the first to notice Hinata's entrance. "Hello there young lady, my name is Teuchi and this is my daughter, Ayame." He pointed behind himself with his thumb. "What is you name little miss?"

"Ano, m-my name is Hi-Hinata H-Hy-Hyuga." She was really nervous about her sur name.

Teuchi was a little surprised by that name and went into a little rant because of it. "Hyuga huh. You know, in the forty years I have manned this restaurant, I have yet to see a Hyuga step foot in here. Frankly I thought that all of the Hyuga were too stuck up to go anywhere within ten feet of ramen."

Hearing the rather accurate description of her clan, Hinata's eyes once again turned towards the ground. Ayame, who was paying attention to the conversation, walked up behind her father and gave him a good slap on the shoulder before turning towards the ink haired girl. "Forgive my father for his words. He doesn't know how to not talk about certain subjects. What would you like to eat Hinata-san?"

"Oh!" The Hyuga looked at the posted menu. "Ano, m-miso ramen pl-please."

Teuchi spoke out with an energetic voice. "One miso ramen coming up."

Some time passed before Hinata received her bowl of ramen. "Itadakimasu." Her voice was as meek and quiet as ever. She separated the chopsticks, and began to eat the ramen in a dignified manner. She found the food to be fairly delicious.

As Hinata got half way through her bowl, Ayame notice what was around her neck. "You're a ninja aren't you? Do you know Naruto-kun?"

Hearing the name of her crush spoken in that manner, Hinata looked up from her bowl of ramen with her chopsticks still in her mouth along with a few long noodles. It started as a small tint but soon a very noticeable blush became visible in the middle of her face. Teuchi was busy so only Ayame noticed before Hinata looked back down at her food. "H-h-hai. I-I know N-Naruto-k-kun."

The increased stuttering and choice of words only increased Ayame's suspicion. She walked up to her father's side and whispered into his ears. "I think our newest customer has a crush on our favorite customer."

Teuchi dropped his jaw and the strainer in his hand and looked back at the young Hyuga girl who has already returned to eating her food with light blush still on her face. After finishing her food, Hinata's hand began coming down to collect the bills to pay for the meal but she stopped when Teuchi spoke up. "Don't worry about paying Hinata-chan, seeing that you are a first time customer and you happen to have a crush on our favorite customer."

At the chan honorific, Hinata's blush became slightly darker but when she heard that they figured out her secret so quickly, her face's color changed to the same red as Rudolf's nose and beads of sweat pored down her face before she fell out of her stool, landing with a thump. "Ano, Ayame-chan. I think she fainted."

Said teen looked over the bar to see the grounded Hyuga whose face was a nice pink. She would have slapped her father's shoulder again but she knew that she would have made the same mistake. "There is no doubt in my mind now. She _does_ have a crush on Naruto-kun."

She got from behind the bar and began to gently shake Hinata by her shoulder. The now porcelain skinned girl's eyes twitched before opening. The Hyuga easily and quickly recognized the signs of her fainting and blushed with that knowledge. "G-g-gomen. I d-didn't mean t-to burden y-you."

Ayame waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about that. You just run off and don't forget that it's on the house." Hinata's blush darkened again and she nodded. With the older teens help, she stood up but walked away by herself, a blush still on her face. "Trying to get those two together is going to be _fun_."

Hinata made her way to the western village gate and sat at one of the benches facing the opening. Her eyes remained fixed upon the horizon beyond those walls. Only shortly after sitting down, she saw a small figure appearing within her normal vision. Going through the hand signs, the Hyuga activated her Byakugan so she could use its telescopic abilities to get a closer look.

When she saw what that figure was, her eyes widened into dinner plates. A single silent tear fell from each eye, fueled by the sudden worry that has overtaken her heart.


	4. The Return: Chapter 4

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

_**I may …create-something.. improvised-by- … combining-the.. above.**_

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Hinata Hyuga began her recollection of the past three days. She first went to the training ground of her team only to find that everyone is on a mission. She returned home, trained, slept, ate, bathed, and slept some more. The next day, she took a walk in the village and wound up in Ichiraku. After some food and embarrassment, she went to the western gate only to see a sight that brought her to tears.) 

* * *

**Finally, the chapter I have been waiting to release. I changed the rating to M because of some details in this chapter and some other planed details. **

Off in the far distance was a light-brown haired mid-sized dog wearing a simple blue coat and a Konoha forehead protector like a collar. The troubling part of it was the person that was draped over that dog, one of his legs and arms on each side of the canine's body. He was one of the people she knew to be on the same mission as Naruto, Choji Akimichi. He had slightly spiky light-brown hair, a green jacket, and a thin red spiral on each of his cheeks.

The thing about him that caused Hinata such worry was the fact that the usually plump boy was now not just thin, but anorexic. Hinata knew of only one thing that could do this to an Akimichi, the consumption of all three of the Akimichi food pills. The Hyuga knew that it would take someone stronger than the average Konoha chunin to force Choji to use them all because using them usually ends in death.

She continued to stare at him wide eyed as the dog rushed past her, obviously heading for the hospital in an effort to save the young Akimichi's life.

Thirty minutes passed making the time 13:00. At this time, she saw yet another figure in the distance. Even though she was dreading what she would see, Hinata activated her Byakugan so she could get a closer look. What she saw caused a constant trail of tears to stream down her cheeks instead of just one tear.

Riding on the back of what looked like a very large brown bull dog wearing the same cloths as the other one was her cousin, Neji Hyuga. His long brown hair was not tied like it usually was, allowing it to be splayed over his back. His headband was missing revealing the Caged Bird Seal placed upon his forehead like all of the other Hyuga Branch Family Members. His usually white shirt was now colored mostly brownish-red with dried blood. When the wind moved his hair out of the way, she could see a torn circle of cloth with blood that was still drying around it. She could see that the tear was caused by something passing straight through his shoulder. Around the hole, Hinata could that the skin was torn outwards. She could only watch in horror as he and the dog passed her by. Part of her wanted to follow but the stronger part was too worried about her crush to go anywhere.

She sat on the bench facing the gate. Eight agonizing hours passed as her worry escalated to such a point that its existence snuffed out every other feeling including the physical ones. She was completely immobile that entire time, even blinking rarely. Her left hand was fisted in front of her face with her right hand on it as she stared out the gate pleading, praying for the team's survival.

Once she saw yet another figure on the night's horizon, she hesitantly scanned ahead. This time she felt more surprised by what she saw than anything else. The one figure became two with a closer look. The one to her left looked like an oversized puppet. It had a barrel shaped body, six slender arms, two even thinner legs, and a cylindrical head with brown hair, two red horns, and three yellow eyes in a triangle pattern.

The puppet was connected to the other figure by five thin chakra strings. His clothes were completely black excluding a circle in the center that was half purple, half yellow. They were pajama style, covering every part of his body except his face and his hand, which had ninja gloves that revealed only his fingertips. His face was covered in thick simple purple markings that would be intimidating if it weren't for the color.

Hinata recognized him as Kankuro, one of the teammates of Gaara, a boy her age that has given her a very fair share of nightmares. She wondered if it would be a good idea to stay in case the other Suna shinobi showed up.

Using the Byakugan's ability to see through solid object, she gives the puppet a closer look. Instantly, she charged forward to intercept approaching Suna ninja. The puppet user stopped, seeing the dark haired girl coming for him.

After getting close enough, she spoke for the first time in hours. "Let them go!"

She got no reaction other than a muffled voice coming out of the puppet. "HINATA-CHAN, IS THAT YOU! GET ME OUT OF THIS THING!"

"Why are Kiba-kun and Akamaru-chan trapped inside your puppet?"

"Oh, Black Ant? He was made for capture and transport, so I used him to _transport_ your friend."

"YOU KILLED THAT GUY IN HERE!"

"_What_, I made sure to clean it out in the river."

"IT STILL REAKS OF BLOOD IN HERE!"

"_Oh_, if that is the problem than here." With a flick of his finger, the puppet specialist opened the upper portion of the puppet's body. Inside was the head of boy with spiky brown hair, dark slit eyes, and two large red fang marks on each of his cheeks.

He turned towards his female teammate with tears running out of his eyes melodramatically. "Please Hinata-chan, get me out of here."

"_Shut-it dog boy_." The annoyed tone could not be missed. Waving the Hyuga goodbye, the Suna shinobi ran ahead on his way to the hospital. His puppet was still half open, revealing an embarrassed Kiba to anyone who looked.

A quarter hour passed as another pair came through the gate. One was an annoyed looking Shikamaru. One of his pinky fingers was in a simple splint. The other was a fairly older girl with a serious face and sandy blond hair tied in four short spiky ponytails. Tied to her back was a way oversized fan. This allowed Hinata to easily identify her as Gaara's other teammate.

The pair noticed the pale lavender eyed girl and approached her. The blond raised her right hand in a questioning pose. "What is a little girl like you doing out here at a time like this?"

Wanting to skip as much time consuming conversation a possibly, Shikamaru spoke up. "Naruto went ahead of me to continue the chase after Sasuke and the last opponent. More than likely, Gaara showed up to help him like Temari did for me."

The first sentence made her blush noticeably but the second made an identifiable expression of worry appear upon her face. Her only clear memory of Gaara was when he was killing three practically defenseless ninja.

Having an IQ second only to Shikamaru's, Temari was able to quickly deduce the connections and implications of that short interaction. "Don't worry about your little boyfriend. Gaara owes a lot to the kid. He would give his life for Naruto without a second of hesitation."

The young Hyuga's face went from porcelain to bright red in an instant. "Na-Na-Na-Naruto i-i-isn't m-m-my b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-boyfriend."

Temari smirked playfully. "You want him to be your boyfriend, _don't you_?" Hinata looked down at the ground wordlessly, which the Suna shinobi recognized as a yes. "Well anyways, I have to get this baka genius to the hospital so he can get his finger properly looked at."

Shikamaru watched the entire scene with a bored expression. "Women are troublesome."

As the pair left, the dark haired girl made her way to the same bench as before. With the time now being 21:30, she saw two more people heading towards the village. When they came into view, it shocked her to find that Naruto was not among them. Taking his place was the one she knew to be Rock Lee. "Why is Lee-san on this mission?"

The other person, she _was_ expecting. His clothes were well suited to desert climate and were made of an assortment of dirt colors, the most prominent being red. The features that set him apart were his spiky red hair, the thick black outlines around each of his teal colored eyes, the symbol on the left side of his forehead, and the oversized gourd on his back. Seeing him, Hinata relived the time when she saw him kill those three men ruthlessly.

The recollection did not last long as Lee snapped her out of it. "Hinata-san, what are you doing here?"

The shy Hyuga merely looked at the ground and stammered words that couldn't be understood.

Lee was able to figure Hinata's feelings for the blond out form the incident at the preliminary exams and therefore figured out what to say. "Naruto-kun had to go ahead to chase after Sasuke who ran off."

"Oh, o-okay."

Lee leaned towards Gaara and cupped his mouth so to aim the sound away from Hinata. "The flames of her youth appear to have diminished."

Gaara looked at the Taijutsu specialist with his fierce yet calm gaze. "Lee, are you in well enough condition to get to the hospital on your own?"

Lee leaned back to a vertical position and tilted his head in confusion. "Hai, why do you ask Gaara-kun?"

"I desire to remain here and wait for Naruto's return." His voice was as monotone as ever but held an underlining respect.

Inspired by the Suna shinobi's devotion to his friend, Lee went into a rant hardwired into his behavior thanks to his sensei. "Gaara-kun, the fires of your youth will act like a beacon leading our youthful friend safely back." Theatrical tears were running down his face.

Gaara decided to say some more after hearing his now least favorite word. "Additionally, I feel as if I am going to kill the next person I here say the word youth."

Lee laughed nervously then left without a word. With the loss of the loud annoyance, the red headed Suna shinobi walked over to the bench where the heavily worried and slightly scared Hyuga stood. Her arms were in front of herself in her classic protective posture. As soon as Gaara reached her voice range, Hinata spoke. "W-w-were y-you s-serious about th-that thr-threat?"

Gaara stopped walking as soon as he reached the bench. "No, but it got him to leave."

Hinata was caught completely of guard from the comment. Gaara was the first to sit down but after some time, Hinata did the same making sure to put as much distance between him and her. One could cut the tension in the air between them with a knife. Gaara could once again feel the familiar feeling of fear coming off of Hinata. "Do not worry. I would never harm anyone who holds Naruto in such high regard."

Hinata looked at her lap blushing madly. "Is it really that easy to see?" Only a short amount of time passed before she looked over to Gaara with an inquisitive gaze, deciding that it was safe to ask a question that was bugging her. "Ano, y-your teammate T-Temari, sh-she said that y-you owe N-Naruto-kun a lot. W-what did she m-mean?"

Gaara's usually blank eyes began to quiver with admiration. "After Sasuke gave me my first wound I fell into a semi-unconscious state. When I came to, I noticed that Temari was carrying me through a thick forest. When Sasuke reached us, I knocked her away as she tried to convince me to stop. He managed to injure me once more, despite the fact that I was using a power that I have killed jonin with. At this time, Naruto and his pink haired teammate showed up. Using my sand, I attached the girl to a tree because she got in my way. I then told Naruto that if I was not defeated, the sand would eventually crush her. I fought him with all the power I possessed and he fought me with all that he possessed, possibly even more. In the end, I was on my back with hardly enough energy to turn my head. When I did, I saw Naruto dragging himself to me using only his shoulders and chin. For the first time in my life, I was scared of the possibility of death. I screamed at him to stay away, that I will not allow my existence to be wiped out. He stopped halfway, looked up at me, started crying, and truly spoke to me.

Gaara's eyes continued to shine with admiration and the Hyuga looked wide-eyed at him, enthralled by the story about the one she felt strongest about. "Until the day I die, I will remember the words he spoke to me." **I know it isn't word for word but I am going by memory people. **"It's unbearable, isn't it, the pain of being all alone. I lived in that same darkness, and for a time, I could feel it taking me over. But then I met my precious people; Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, and even Sasuke-teme. They became my friends. They truly cared for me. They saved me from that lonely pit of darkness. That is why I will _never_ let you hurt them. I _will_ stop you, even if I have to kill you."

Gaara's expression actually changed to a solemn one. "I always fought for myself. I always believed that made me strong. Yet he fought for his friends and he was stronger. Love is what made him strong. For this same reason, I believe you can be strong. Naruto is someone worth living your life for. Do so, and you could be truly strong."

Hinata could not help but to keep staring at the story teller as she was affected by multiple emotions. Seeing the amount of change Naruto was able to cause in a person like Gaara made her hold him in even higher reverence. She felt embarrassed from the mentioning of her feelings, but it was completely replaced by awe. Gaara, one of the most powerful people she knew believed that she could be strong. "Arigato Gaara-kun."

Although he did not show it, Gaara was happy to hear that honorific as it signified that she was no longer afraid of him. Meanwhile, Hinata was rehearing what the Suna shinobi said to her in her head. "He said love. Is it possible? CanI love Naruto-kun? I have liked him for years but love. That is such a strong word. Are my feelings strong enough to be worthy of it?"

Time continued to pass by in a painfully slow manner. Repeated Byakugan scans along with the lack of dinner began to take their toll. One time, Hinata nearly fell upon Gaara's lap, only to be caught by a surprisingly soft cloud of sand. She bolted up in surprise. "G-g-gomen." The sand user just continued to stare towards the gate opening with an emotionless expression.

It was now 23:00. Hinata could barely keep her pale lavender eyes open. Gaara, who can't remember being able to sleep soundly, remained unblinking. An orange speck made itself visible on the night horizon. Forcing her eyes open once again, she was able to notice the approaching figure. Using what little extra chakra she had left, the Hyuga scanned ahead to see her worst fear come to life.

The orange speck was indeed the orange jumpsuit worn by none other than Naruto Uzumaki. Although there seamed to be no wound, the upper left side of the outfit was soaked in blood. Two clear tears could be seen. The blond was unconscious and being carried by his sensei, Kakashi Hatake. He was dressed like most jonin with the addition of a dark blue face mask and his headband covering his left eye. The only other defining feature was his near vertical silver hair. "N-Naruto-kun... he's hurt."

Gaara stood up and walked forward as a stream of sand flowed out of his oversized gourd to form a flat cloud of sand.

When the jonin arrived, he saw the two young shinobi, one standing by a cloud of sand, the other sitting on a bench with tears in her eyes. He quickly pieced together what the sand was for and placed the comatose blond on the flat soft surface. Not wasting any time, he and the sand wielder ran as fast as possible towards Konoha Hospital, the sand gliding gently in tow.

Hinata noticed their departure. Hastily, she stood up and made chase. "Please be okay Naruto-kun." They raced through the rooftops, not wasting a single possible instant as they headed for their destination.

Upon arrival, the pair's entrance caused quite a commotion. Gaara directed his cloud of sand to float over the nearest stretcher, which was being pushed by a man who stopped moving because of the sight. The cloud lowered Naruto onto the stretcher and dissipated. The man would have complained about _who_ was placed upon the stretcher if it wasn't for the glare from both the jonin and the sand user.

Hinata entered just in time to see which hallway Naruto was being taken down. The trio followed until being stopped by one of the nurses. "Gomen, you two cannot go in." She was pointing at the younger shinobi.

The silver haired jonin eye smiled while looking back at the younger pair. "Don't worry. Should the need arise, I will keep both eyes on him."

Gaara simply nodded, maintaining his emotionless expression. Hinata looked towards the ground and muttered her response. "H-hai." Gaara turned around and made his way to a waiting area and stood beside one of the brown leather couches. Hinata followed and sat at the same couch Gaara stood beside. Hardly a few seconds passed as she placed her head on the couches arm and brought her legs up to rest on the remainder of the furniture. The day's events caught up with her, causing a state of deep sleep.

Another of the hospital's staff approached them with the full intention of making the pair leave. The large brown haired man couldn't say anything to the pair before a burst of the sleep deprived red head's focused killer intent scared the man into silence and made him wet his pants. He walked off without a word. Undisturbed, the obviously dreaming Hyuga mumbled in her sleep. "Naruto-kun ...I love you."

In the silence of the room, these words were as clear as the air itself to the trained shinobi's ears. A slight grin graced his normally stoic face. "Naruto, love is and shall always be your greatest power."

* * *

**I really liked this chapter. I hope you did.  
**


	5. A New Face: Chapter 5

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

_**I may …create-something.. improvised-by- … combining-the.. above.**_

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." The team that was sent on the Sasuke Retrieval Mission was brought back to the village one by one, some worse off than others. After Naruto's return, Hinata followed him to the hospital. Unable to follow him further, she went to the waiting room and fell asleep there with Gaara at the side of the couch.) 

* * *

Hinata's lids began to flutter open. Those pale lavender orbs began to scan the now busy hospital lobby. Still groggy, she sat up and went wide-eyed as memory returned to her. "H-how long was I sl-sleeping?"

Gaara was still standing in the _same _spot as before. "It is nearly noon. Visiting hours should begin then."

Hinata could not believe her ears. "I have been sleeping for nearly _thirteen_ hours. I have never slept that long in my life. W-we should go th-then." Gaara began walking towards the receptionist counter with the Hyuga in tow. She stood in front of the woman while looking at her twiddling fingers. "Ano, c-can you tell u-us where Kiba-k-kun's, Neji-nii-san's, N-Naruto-kun's rooms are."

"Inuzuka-san is in room 225. Hyuga-san is still in critical condition and is there for not accepting visitors. _As for him_, he has no need for visitors."

Hinata merely thought that she couldn't see Naruto for the same reason as Neji but Gaara easily saw the look in the woman's eyes. It took all of his willpower to rein in his killer intent. His old self would have killed her. He noticed Hinata walking off and followed her not without placing his forefingers on one of his eyes. "The third eye...invisibly linked to the optic nerve."

The pair walked up the stairs. "G-Gaara-kun, y-you don't have to c-come with me. I c-can get to Kiba-kun m-myself."

"I am going to see Naruto."

Hinata looked at him in surprise. "B-but, we d-don't know where h-he is."

"Naruto's room number is 318. You should go see him afterwards. He _is_ well enough to receive visitors."

Hinata nodded to him just before leaving the stairs through the second floor door. She could easily see the number 225 to her left.

When she entered, she could see Akamaru being tended to by Kiba's older sister Hana. Kiba himself was lying on the hospital bed. He sat up excited to see a friend. "Hey Hinata-chan, bout time you showed up!"

She began looking at the ground again. "Oh, g-gomen."

"Wait, I-I didn't mean it like... I mean, it's not like, _well_." Hana got behind her brother and smacked him across the back of the head before returning to Akamaru. He glared at her but turned his gaze back on Hinata. "Gomen, I didn't mean it like that. It is just that I am a little ticked off from how I was drug here."

Hana could not contain her snicker when she remembered seeing that. Hinata also had to hide a giggle behind her hand. "Are you and A-Akamaru-chan okay."

"I am fine and nee-chan says that Akamaru will be fine as well. She is a good vet."

"T-that's good." Suddenly a loud rumbling sound swept the room earning the now red faced Hyuga two surprised looks from both of the Inuzuka.

"Whoa Hinata-chan, I didn't know you had it in you. How long has it been since you ate?"

She looked down _again_ and began twiddling her fingers. "A-a l-little over t-twenty-four hours a-ago."

Four eyes went wide. "Twenty-four hours! That is _not_ healthy. Instead of being here visiting me, you _should_ be out looking for something to eat."

"My brother is right. You should go get something to eat as soon as possible. Finish up here then leave."

"H-hai." Hinata left the room and returned to the stairs. She climbed her way up another flight before stepping out into the third floor. She found and entered room to see none other than Gaara. "Is-is he going to be o-okay."

**Flashback.**

Teal eyes focused on the number 318. After opening the door underneath, he saw a woman with a green jacket and twin ponytails. "Good afternoon Hokage-sama. How is he?"

Sadness could be seen in her eyes. "Truthfully, _even he_ is lucky to be alive. If it had been anybody else with his combination of injuries and chakra exhaustion, they would have certainly died."

"Then why didn't he?"

"Gaara, when you were born, Shukaku the sand demon was sealed into you correct." Gaara merely narrowed his eyes dangerously, not liking where this was going. Tsunade took it as a sign to continue. "Thirteen years ago, the Kyūbi attacked Konoha. Our forces tried to fight it off but the demon was too strong for any man to kill. Because of this, the Fourth Hokage decided to seal the fox away instead. Two problems, the only sealing jutsu he knew to be strong enough to do it has the price of the user's life. The other problem was that the seal would fail and release the fox if he sealed it into anything other than...a new born baby."

Gaara's eyes which were widening progressively reach full wideness as he put together the last piece of the puzzle. "He is not a lot like me. He is exactly like me."

"There is another thing I must tell you. The third Hokage later put up a law that prevents anyone but the acting Hokage and Naruto himself from revealingly this secret under the penalty of death. Anyone too young to remember the attack is completely unaware of Naruto's connection to the fox. This was done so he could have a normal childhood. It unfortunately did not work very well."

"I believe you told me this because you do not want me to speak of this to anyone else."

"No, not exactly." She turned to him with a serious gaze. "You are a Jinchūriki, just like Naruto. I am sure you can be trusted with the liberty to inform anyone of this. I believe that you would only tell those who can be completely trusted with this information. It should go without saying that those you inform are not at liberty to discuss this with those who are unaware.

Gaara nodded. "Hai"

**Flashback end.**

Gaara thought carefully about what he would say. "He will make a full recovery soon."

She let out a sigh of relief. "T-that is good. Thank Kami he will be okay."

"I must return to my village with my siblings. Sayonara." He walked away with his arms crossed until he had to open the door. "It is best that Naruto is the one to inform her."

Now alone in the room, Hinata made her way to the bed's side and sat on a nearby chair. Looking at the normally hyperactive blond, she found it unnerving how he could lie so still. Still worried about her blond crush, Hinata went through the hand seals for the activation of her Byakugan. What she saw contradicted what Gaara had told her.

The chakra coils, although intricate, are supposed to move through the body in smooth paths. His coils thickened, thinned, and became jagged all at random locations. She has read something about this due to her intense studies about the chakra system pumped into her by her clan. It was merely theory, but if a person's chakra network was suddenly filled with foreign chakra far greater in surplus that what that person normally had, this would be the result. Part of the theory said that it was nearly impossible to survive but no one has been able to test it.

She instantly burst into tears, drop after drop falling of her face. "N-Naruto-kun, w-why you. Y-you w-were always so st-strong. E-every t-time you fe-fell, you al-always got up. You ne-never gave up, n-no matter h-how hard it was. Th...that's why you ... You can't die!"

The door opened just as she finished. Behind that door was the Hokage herself. "Hinata-san, what are you doing here?"

Said Hyuga turned around instantly, revealing her reddened and slightly puffy eyes. "H-H-Hokage-sama."

Tsunade was at first surprised at the evidence of crying but quickly switched her expression to a gentle smile. "Hey, don't worry about him. The little baka will be up an about by tomorrow."

"B-but..." Hinata was quickly interrupted by the female Hokage.

"Hey! If I, the most well renowned medical expert says that someone is going to be fine, they are going to be fine."

"H-hai."

Silence filled the room as the medic expert made her way to the bedside. That silence was suddenly shattered by a low rumbling. She immediately switched her attention to the now blushing Hyuga. She held a glowing green hand over the small girl's abdomen. "You haven't eaten in at least twenty-four hours. That is not a health thing to do. You _should_ go get something to eat."

"B-but, what a-about Naruto-kun?"

Tsunade looked at the timid girl sternly causing her to look towards the floor. "Naruto will still be here, even if _you_ leave."

"H-hai Hokage-sama, gomen."

The Hyuga prepared to leave the room with tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Poor girl, she really wants to help." Tsunade looked at the clothes bag hanging on the wall with a smile. "Maybe there is a way she can. Hinata-san!" She stopped just at the door and turned around to face the speaker, tears still threatening to fall. "You must really like him, correct."

She looked down to hide her blush but still nodded. "I thought so." She was smiling with closed eyes. She her lids and turned to face the hanging clothes. She walked over, picked them up, and held them in front of the embarrassed Hyuga. "This bag has the baka's clothes in it. They got fairly damaged and stained in his fight. You can take them to a tailor on your way to get something to eat." Tsunade placed some bills on the bag. "Here is some money so you can pay for the tailor. Consider this a mission."

Hinata blushed even brighter at the thought of handling Naruto's clothes. "H-hai Hokage-sama." Taking the clothes and the money with her, Hinata made her way out of the hospital.

Tsunade wore a gentle smile. "She must really like the baka." The smile switched from gentle to mischievous. "She may need a little help with that."

Walking through the streets, Hinata looked for any place that looked like it had a tailor in it. Eventually she came across a small hut with clothes hung about. After entering the small building, she sat on a small chair and waited patiently.

Shortly after sitting down, Hinata saw a man come out of the back room. He had short smooth dark brown hair. He wore a dark blue unzipped windbreaker, a white t-shirt, and dark blue cargo pants. The irises of his eyes seemed to be the exact same color as chakra, the constant shifting of shades included. He looked at her with a questioning expression. "You know, if you needed any service, you could have just called. What can I do you for?"

Hinata being too caught up in the color of his eyes snapped herself out of her stupor and blushed. "C-could you p-please re-repair this." She held the bag out to him.

"Hai, no problem." After receiving the bag and pulling out the clothes within, his eyebrows raised considerably. "Surely _you_ don't actually _wear_ this."

"N-no, I don't."

"Good, firstly, it wouldn't look good on you...or anyone else for that matter. And secondly, for a ninja like yourself, wearing clothes with such bright colors is like asking the enemy to kill you. Judging by the extensiveness and the location of the damage, the owner is in critical condition ... if not dead."

Hinata quickly doubled over and started crying. Frantic, the tailor went into an effort to comfort her. "Hey there, no need to worry. No matter how bad his condition, Tsunade-sama should be enough to save his life. He will be fine in no time."

The sound of Hinata's crying faded until it eventually quieted. "H-hai."

The man let loose a sigh of relief. "Gomen, I have not been very good at being tact with my words. As for the jumpsuit, I will get to work on it ASAP. I should be done in an hour. The price will be four-hundred yen. You can pay now or an hour later when you pick it up."

Hinata looked at a board in the background and saw the normal price for repairs to be at 1,600 yen. He easily took notice of where she was looking. "Don't worry about that. I want to do it for the trouble and worry I caused you. I am just going to close shop soon anyways."

"Oh, g-gomen. It must b-be difficult."

"Don't worry about that. I am closing down because I have got other things I have to do, not because I am not making enough money. The place just looks run down because I don't want to fix it up."

"B-but, I j-just don't feel r-right ab..." She was interrupted by the sound of her stomach growling yet again, causing her to blush.

The man laughed. "Looks like you are going to need that money to pay for your lunch." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Now get going and I will be done when you get back.

After looking at the blue eyed for a few seconds, the hungry Hyuga left to find something to eat. "How does he plan to finish that fast?" Knowing what she wanted to eat, Hinata made her way to the last place she ate at.

After moving the curtains out of the way, she was promptly greeted by Ayame. "Hey Hinata-chan. Good to see you again."

She blushed at the chan honorific. "I only met them a day ago. Oh, ar-arigato."

Teuchi turned away from the kitchen to greet his newest customer. "_Hinata-chan_, take a seat and make your order."

Hinata sat down with a slightly darker blush. "I wo-would like some ch-chicken ramen." As the broth's scent filled the air, Hinata began to salivate. It didn't take much longer for her stomach to let out a rumble louder than any of the others.

The pair looked at the once again blushing girl who was mentally cursing her stomach. A few seconds of silence passed. "Whoa! If I didn't know better, I would say that the last thing you ate was our ramen." Hinata was too embarrassed to speak so she nodded causing Teuchi to release a hearty laugh. "Wow! Now that is what I call a dedicated customer."

A few minutes later, she was given her food and chopsticks to separate. "Itadakimasu." She then proceeded to eat in a dignified manner despite her hunger. She finished shortly thereafter. "Arigato"

She began to reach for the money but was interrupted. "Do you know what has happened to Naruto?"

She looked down with tears in her eyes. "N-Naruto-kun came from hi-his mission last night. He... he was re-really hurt. I-I was told th-that he would be up to-tomorrow, but when I-I checked him my-myself i...it looked like he w-wouldn't even wake up."

Shock was on both of their faces. The older of the two was the first to speak. "Who was the one you told you that he would up tomorrow?"

"Ho-Hokage-sama told me he-herself."

Shock was replaced with relief on both of their faces. Like before, Teuchi was the one to speak. "Well if Tsunade-sama said that he will be fine, then he will be fine."

"H-h-hai, I guess y-your right." After much insistence from the stand owners, Hinata left without paying and made her way to check on the clothes she had left with that tailor. When she arrived, Hinata could easily see the orange jumpsuit standing out among the darker background and clothes. It was in pristine condition.

She entered the hut and was promptly greeted. "Hello there, I finished just like I said I would."

"Ano, h-how did you fi-finish so fast?"

He let out a cross between a grunt and a laugh. "Good question. I have had prior ninja training so I am far faster and more accurate than any other tailor."

Hinata placed a hand over her mouth to cover a gasp of surprise. "R-r-really."

"Hai, but I don't really want to talk about it, okay."

"H-hai, I-I understand."

"_So_, you just going to stand there all day or are you going to take that jumpsuit back to its owner?"

"Oh, g-gomen." She grabbed Naruto's jumpsuit and walked to the desk where she placed the payment. After that, she left. "Sayonara. I hope he doesn't notice that I paid in full before I leave. Paying only quarter price just wouldn't feel right."

"Sayonara to you as well Hinata. I hope everything goes well. I wonder if she is going to notice that she has never even told me her name." He collected the payment. "Although it was unnecessary, this is really nice of her."

Nearly at the hospital, Hinata let her thoughts wonder. "That tailor is a nice man. I wonder what his name is." At that thought, something clicked in her head. "I never told him my name so how did he know it?" She dismissed that thought for the moment as she began to make her way up the stairs to room 318.


	6. Introduction: Chapter 6

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

_**I may …create-something.. improvised-by- … combining-the.. above.**_

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Hinata woke up on the hospital couch and went to see Kiba. Meanwhile, Gaara learned about the fox and gained permission to tell anyone he should chose. After a short moment, Hinata entered the room at which Gaara left. Tsunade followed and asked Hinata to take Naruto's outfit for repairs. During this errand, she meets a strange tailor who is more than meets the eye. She then returned to the hospital with the repaired jacket.)

* * *

Just as room 318 came into view, Tsunade began to walk out of the door. The woman turned and saw the ink haired girl round the corner. "Hello there Hinata-chan. Back already." As the younger girl blushed, Tsunade took notice of the blue and orange flap of clothes on her arm. "I said you can take that thing to be repaired. I didn't say to scour the village for another one. The less of those he has the better."

"I d-didn't. I ju-just found a good t-tailor."

Tsunade's wide eyes said it all. "That guy must work fast. Not only is it already finished but it looks perfectly new. Can you tell me where this guy is? I may ask him to do some work for me later."

"Gomen, but h-he said that he i-is going to cl-close shop soon."

"That _is _too bad but these things do happen." Tsunade's expression soon changed so that it showed that she was all business. "I will hang that up in his room. _You_ will go home and rest." Taking notice of Hinata's shocked silence, Tsunade elaborated. "How long has it been since you have been at your home?"

She began to push her index-fingers together. "Ano, n-not since yesterday m-morning."

"Exactly! He will still be here later. I don't want you to come back until 22:00 tonight, _understand_."

Hinata became visibly sad. "H-hai Hokage-sama."

The village leader spoke calmly while placing her fist at her hips. "Good, now get going." After giving the neon orange jumpsuit to the commanding figure before her cream lavender eyes, Hinata made her way to the ground floor and left the medical facility.

She headed home trying to think of any way that she could prolong the inevitable return to the Hyuga compound. "_That tailor_, he knew my name even though I didn't tell it to him." Figuring that satisfying her curiosity was a good enough reason to abandon her trek home, Hinata turned around and made her way to the rundown hut.

After entering said establishment, she began to look around. "HEY!" The sudden voice from behind made the young shinobi flinch very noticeably. Loud laughing could be heard from the origin of the voice. "You should have seen yourself. ... I have never seen anyone _jump_ like that." He took a deep breath. "Now, can you tell me why you are here this time around."

Hinata blushed from embarrassment. "Ano, i-it is just well... I-I was wondering h-how you knew my n-name."

"Ah yes, about that. Because I have had ninja training, I decided to learn a thing or two about Konoha's shinobi. That includes the new _and_ quite talented genin, you included. I can recognize almost each and every one of them by face. I am quite well informed."

During that little speech, one part stood out in Hinata's ears causing her to fiddle with her fingers yet again. "T-talented? I-I'm not t-talented."

"_Not talented_. You are one of the few who made it through the first and second rounds of the chunin exams. Not only that but you are just into your teen years. If that can't be called talent then I don't know what can. With the proper training, any one of you can be a shinobi feared across all of the great nations." He leaned towards Hinata's face with a big smile. "I'm sure _I _could teach you a thing or two."

Hinata took up her protective posture and looked down. "I...I don't know. M-my family says th-that I'm w-weak, that I am n-not worthy of being h-heir to the cl-clan. I always try m-my best,... but I can

never be a-as good at J-Jūken as I should be."

Seriousness and concern fill the tailor's once joking face. "Hinata-chan, you mustn't think that way. Your clan believes that all Hyuga's must reach a certain standard using only the jutsu passed on from generations of Hyuga. The problem is that old clans believe that change in not necessary, or even possible. The idea that some Hyuga may have talents outside that very specific taijutsu _doesn't_ even cross their minds. I am sure that if you branch out from the path that they have laid out for you, a whole new world of possibilities will open up to you. Straying from that path even a little can cause drastic changes in your future. Stay on that path and you can expect that little to nothing will change."

Hinata could only look at the man with her wide eyes as he completely debunked everything her clan has pumped into her head ever since she was old enough to understand what she was being told. With his words, she actually realized for the first time that there are a lot more useful jutsu then the ones found in her clan. "A...arigato." Looking into the man's chakra colored eyes, Hinata remembered her secondary reason for coming by. "Ano, c-can you tell me y-your name?"

The tailor stood proudly by arching his back and poking his chest with his thumb. "_Who me?_ I am a man who can sew any form of dress in a week or less. I am a man who is always remembered upon a first meeting. I am ..." He bowed eloquently during his pause while still keeping eye contact. "Arashi Ayama."

Hinata could not help but giggle at the unorthodox introduction. Arashi smiled widely. "I knew that would get her to laugh. Those talks about weakness really made her gloomy."

This time it was Hinata who bowed. "Arigato Arashi-san."

He began waving his right hand dismissively. "Don't mention it." His hand became still and his finger extended. "Oh, and you shouldn't feel the need to call me by that honorific. You needn't be so formal with me, okay." The flustered Hinata nodded and began leaving but was stopped by more of Arashi's speech. "Hinata-chan, I almost forgot. How is that friend of yours doing?"

Hinata stopped moving, turned around, and looked towards the ground. "Ts-Tsunade-sama said that h-he would be fine."

Arashi crossed his arms across his chest and smiled. "Well if that is the case, then you shouldn't worry your pretty little head off." He ignored her blush and continued. "You know, it is a good thing he is going to live. I planned to make him an outfit better suited for stealth than that _thing_ he was wearing." I should be done with it in a week. You can come back then and pick it up. Oh, this is a gift so there won't be any paying for it. You would probably have to take it to him yourself. I don't know what he looks like. I wonder if she catches that."

Hinata's entire face turned pink at the prospect of delivering any form of gift to the object of her affections. "Me giving clothes to Naruto-kun. What if he takes it as an insult to his fashion sense? I don't think that I would be able to handle it if he thinks that."

Arashi just stood there with his hands in his windbreaker's pockets as he watched the ink haired girl stand frozen in place with an ever deepening blush. "Hey Hinata, are you going to leave or stand there like a statue all day?" With a shake of the head, Hinata came back to her senses and apologized. As she left, Arashi smiled mischievously. "If I could only see the kid's expression."

Having nothing else to do, Hinata made her way back to her clan's compound. After only a few moments that were just not long enough, she passed by the gates. Instead of going to her room and taking that chance of encountering her father, Hinata headed for one of the massive Hyuga gardens.

The smooth dirt path of the garden was just wide enough to let two people walk side by side. If you were to look at it from above, on the side opposite of the entrance, you will see the path making a shape. The entrance suddenly spiraled counterclockwise making two complete loops. Also from that position, an equilateral triangle would be pointed at you with its base melding with the spiral's outer line. It was a perfect recreation of Konoha's leaf symbol.

The remaining empty space was mostly occupied by an assortment of brilliant violets, blues, yellows, and reds. In the dead center was a beautiful sakura tree in full bloom, it's pink petals swaying elegantly in the light wind.

Hinata made her way to the center. As she did so she looked side to side, taking in the vibrant beauty of the garden. After reaching the tree, the Hyuga sat down at the trunk and tried her best to relax. She was successful to doing so as she fell fast asleep.

**Dream.**

Hinata stood at the door of room 318. Her hand shakily and slowly reached for the knob. The piece of metal was eventually reached, turned, and pulled back.

The room was considerably different from the last time she was in there. Instead of the simple set up, there were machines and tubes everywhere around the blond. His skin was also far paler than it has ever been for him.

Among the machines was a heart monitor. The line spiked constantly as it released the corresponding beeps. Suddenly, the space between spikes increased. It happened again, and again, and again. For each beat Naruto's heart skipped, Hinata's skipped with it. The spikes and beeps were replaced with a strait line and a constant tone.

She couldn't breath, her heart clenched, the blood drained from her face, and her eyes widened at the realization of her worst fear. Naruto was dead.

**End.**

Hinata shot forward while remaining seated. Sweat beaded down her face as she panted. Her wide lavender eyes quivered and her body trembled. Tears added to the wetness on her face as she clutched her sides in an attempt to still her trembling. "It... It was j-just a dream." Her expression relaxed into a solemn one. "More like nightmare."

She looked up at the sky and gasped in surprise. The sun's position allowed her to guess the time to be at 18:00, give or take a few. Hinata really hoped it was take because she did _not _want to make a spectacle of herself by being late for dinner. She stood up and exited the garden the same way she entered. She did not run because that would also make her a spectacle.

She entered the central building and briskly walked to the dining room. Lady Luck was not with her today because both Hanabi and Hiashi were seated with the food on the table. Worse yet, they were already eating before turning their gaze towards her entrance into the room. They turned away after only a short time, almost an instant. Hinata nervously took the seat that was always prepared for her. "Itadakimasu." She was barely heard.

The Hyuga trio ate calmly. "Hinata." Said girl's body jumped and she almost choked on the food in her mouth. "I would like to hear the reason for your absence."

She placed her hands at her lap and looked down. "I-I-I have been a-at the hospital."

"I see, care to explain."

"Kiba-kun a-and Neji-nii-san came b-back from their mi-mission in-injured. I hope that is enough of an explanation." He simply nodded and resumed eating. After the meal was finished, she headed for her room.

She walked through the simple hallways until reaching her destination. After entering, she took a bath, redressed and laid on her bed after setting an alarm on her room clock so she would not be late for showing up at the hospital. Thanks to her recent nap and worry, Hinata could not fall asleep even if she tried.

She not once bothered to look at the clock. Her eyes remained fixed on the ceiling the entire time. Time passed at a snails pace. If she didn't know better, it could have been a day. Hinata gasped and jumped at the sudden blaring of her alarm. She quickly stood up, shut it off, and reset it.

As planed, she began to leave as silently a possible. She was only five seconds out of her room's door before familiar stern voice was heard. "Hinata, where are you going at this time at night?"

Needless to say, Hinata was frozen in place. She then turned around to face her father. She looked towards the ground with her hands as low as possible and clasp together. "I-I am going b-back to the hospital. Ho-Hokage-sama asked me to return a-at this time."

Hiashi slowly closed his eyes. "Very well, you are free to stay as long as you wish."

In response, Hinata simply bowed. "A-arigato Otou-sama." She proceeded to leave the compound, happy that she will not have to return for a while. She left the compound and headed for the hospital.

As she walked through the hospital doors, Hinata was greeted by a buxom blond. "Hello there Hinata-chan. Glad to see that you are on time. I like someone who is punctual." **A white haired jonin sneezed. **Hinata looked down and blushed from the compliment. "I am guessing that you are here to see Naruto-baka." Hinata bobbed her head up and down a bit and blushed a slightly darker shade. Tsunade smiled at this before switching to a serious expression. "Well, before you do that you should first see your cousin. He has just reached the point at which he can receive visitors. That is in actuality the main reason why I told you to come here at _this _time. He is in room 183."

Hinata bowed. "Arigato Ho-Hokage-sama."

Tsunade began waving her hand dismissively. "Just Tsunade will do." She placed both hands at her hips. "Now, why don't you go and see him?"

Hinata nodded and began walking towards the hospital halls. Just as room 183 came into view, one of the hospital's staff came out of the rooms. She had short reddish-brown hair, green eyes, and the same outfit as all other nurses. "Gomen but you are not supposed to be back here. Please come back at visiting hours."

Before Hinata could even turn around, a hand was placed on her shoulder. "She is with me." It was the voice of the Hokage herself.

The nurse instantly became frantic. "Oh Ho-Hokage-sama. If that is the case then you may go ahead." She turned to face Hinata with that last sentence.

With her hand still on the Hyuga's shoulder, Tsunade lead her forward towards the designated room. After entering, Hinata saw her teenaged cousin. Everything else was exactly like what she saw in her recent dream. Every single tube and machine was there. Nothing was on the teen's forehead allowing her to see the caged bird seal. It consisted of a green X with two lines about a half an inch from the X that wrapped around his brow, disappearing at the hairline.

Hinata sat down at a chair that was prepared at the bed's side. Although she was saddened by her cousin's state of health, Hinata was also overjoyed that he will survive. She sat there in complete silence for half an hour until that silence was shattered by the sound of the Hokage's voice. "Hinata-chan, we should leave. Neji-san needs his rest."

"Hai, y-your right." She stood up and followed Tsunade out of the room.

The older woman looked back and smiled softly. "I will escort you to Naruto's room." The pair made their way to the stairs, climbed two flights, and walked to room 318. In the room was another chair placed _very _close to the bed, parallel with the blonde's waist. Hinata sat down on the chair, not bothering with making any distance between the furniture. At this time, the Hokage felt like it was a good time to leave the young pair alone.

A few minutes of staring at the unconscious blond passed. All of a sudden, her eyes grew heavy and her head drooped. Normally, she would have found it strange that after a night with thirteen hours of sleep and a nap in the Hyuga garden, she would be sleepy. This was not a normal situation as she was far too focused upon Naruto's bandaged face. Before she had even realized what she was doing, Hinata gently fell onto Naruto's chest and fell asleep, her face in clear view for anyone who should enter.

Instinctively, Hinata's unconscious body began to reposition itself for comfort. Both arms snaked past the boy's sides, her hands stopping to grip his shoulders. Her lower half came off of the chair and onto the bed. Because they were almost the same height, her shins reached the edge of the bed. Being uncomfortable because of his recent injuries, Naruto's right arm came up then back down. His hand just happened to land on the space between Hinata's shoulder blades. Overall, it was a _very_ compromising position.

Passed midnight, the door knob clicked and the door was opened, revealing a weary Hokage who was not wearing the usual green jacket. Looking at the scene before her, Tsunade's heart swelled and her energy restored itself as her golden eyes fixed themselves on the two thirteen year olds. It took quite a bit of willpower to keep her thoughts from becoming out loud. "_KAWII_"

Despite the plainness of the room, the pair gave off a feeling of warmth. The looks of both of their faces were _so_ innocent that Tsunade could not believe it was even possible. Overall, it was without a doubt, the cutest thing she has ever seen in all of her life.

At first, Tsunade felt guilty casting a genjutsu on the unsuspecting Hyuga, but now she was not regretting it one bit. She left the area at full speed and returned in half an hour. There was no way she was going to let this scene be forgotten to the world. For this reason, she was holding to her face a disposable camera that she recently _procured _from a nearby store. "At least I left a note saying I would pay for the damages and the camera later on."

After taking as many pictures as the film within the camera allowed, Tsunade turned out the light, left the room, and closed the door. "As soon as these develop, I _have_ to show Shizune."

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**I don't feel like saying anything.**


	7. Realization: Chapter 7

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

_**I may …create-something.. improvised-by- … combining-the.. above.**_

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Back in the hospital, Hinata gave Naruto's jumpsuit back to Tsunade. After being denied the chance to see the blond, she began to go home. Mid-trip, she decided to return to the tailor she met earlier. After some comforting, she found out his name was Arashi Ayama. She went to a garden where she had a nightmare about Naruto's death. After some uncomfortable family moments, she returned to the hospital, saw her cousin, and fell asleep on Naruto's chest. Little did she know, Tsunade immortalized the event.)

* * *

"Pale lavender eyes fluttered open, slowly bringing the room into view. She knew she was waking up from a night of sleep but she did not remember where. What she did know was that the surface she had her head was strangely both hard and soft and it moved up and down in a rhythmic motion.

Sitting up slowly, she looked at what she was sleeping on. In response to the sudden shock, she bounce up, pushing herself off the bed so she was standing at its foot. Her face was beat red when she realized that the object she was sleeping on was none other than Naruto Uzumaki. She thought the only thing that could possibly come to mind for her. "I was sleeping on Naruto-kun." The only reason that she hasn't fainted yet was because no one saw her. "If anyone, especially Naruto-kun, saw me, I think I would have died from embarrassment."

She continued to watch her crush as her blood red blush gradually faded into a light pink. Looking around, she found a clock that told her that the time was 10:45. After discovering the time, Hinata's mind stopped racing in every direction, allowing her to have some controlled thoughts. "I hope I didn't hurt him any. Maybe I should check him." Hinata's eyes widened. "His chakra network, I for got the damage it took."

Going though the familiar hand seals, Hinata activated her Byakugan, causing Naruto's chakra network to quickly come into view. Contrary to what she saw last time, the blonde's chakra network looked perfectly normal.

Unable to hold it in, Hinata voiced her thoughts as countless droplets of tears fell onto her hands one by one. "Y-you're going to be okay. I...I don't know if I c-could have gone one without you. I..I always watched you f-for so long. No matter h-how many times failed or was t-told that you couldn't do it, you ... you just t-tried again. B-because of this y-you were strong, and I-I admired that. After all the t-time I spent watching you, the..the time came for y-you to watch me. There ... there were many t-times I should have encouraged you a-as I watched you but... but when the time came, y-y-you encouraged me. I-If you didn't, I..I would have j-just given up. T-the next time I saw you, i-it was my chance to b-be your encouragement,..and I took it. Afterwards... y-you told me that you thought I-I was d-dark and weird. Hearing y-you say that, I..I felt ... disappointed. But then you s-said, 'I think I like people..people like you.' That made me h-happier than I h-have ever been. When you fought Neji-nii-san, I... I was scared. I.. I felt as if I c-could feel every b-blow he dealt. In... in the end, I collapsed a-and couldn't w-watch the rest. When I h-heard that you won from Neji-nii-san, I... I was really relieved. I was _so _happy the you w-were okay and.. and even happier that y-you won. I... I could feel my admiration for you g-grow, and now.. as sure as I h-have ever been, I-I know that ... that I l-love you. I-I am more certain of it th-than I have ever been with an-anything in my life." Her next words were spoken even softer and with more conviction than any of the others. "I love you."

Hugging herself gently, Hinata continued to cry softly from the stress of her sudden confession and the relief from Naruto's survival. Moments later, Hinata heard a light ruffling sound. Realizing what it was, the Hyuga looked up and blushed furiously as her pale lavender orbs met with a pair of brilliant blue donuts surrounding black dots.

Not even thinking about it, Hinata bolted out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She ran through the halls and hid behind the second corner she turned. "I think he saw me. What...what if he heard me." That thought combined with her sudden sprint resulted in the one thing she truly wished she would stop doing. She fainted. **Finally, those three days are over.**

Hinata, still wearing her usual cloths, blushed her usual color as she worried about her confession. "What will he think of me? What if he doesn't accept me? Did he even hear me?" Her internal musing continued as she knew that if she left, it would cause problems for the hospital's staff.

About half an hour later, the door was opened by a woman with short dark hair wearing a simple black kimono and a kind expression. In her crossed arm small pig that was wearing a miniaturized version of Tsunade's jacket. Hinata recognized the woman as Tsunade's assistant, Shizune. "Nice to see that you are awake." Her voice was gentle and her smile caring.

The confusion on Hinata's face was easy to see. "H-how did I g-get here."

Shizune blinked owlishly. "I though she would know why she was here. I saw you collapsed in the halls so I carried you to this room. Why were you out there anyways?" Not wanting to try speaking the truth and unable to think of a lie, Hinata just looked down and blushed. "Well, if you don't want to tell me about it then I won't pry. I wonder what that blush was for."

"Arigato."

Just then, a voice could be heard at the doorway. "Oh Shizune, perfect timing. I have got something to show you."

Hinata could see Tsunade at the doorway but because of the angel, Shizune blocked most of the view. "What is it Tsunade-sama?"

Said woman leaned from the doorway enough to expose her face. Her eyes were closed and her face held a big cheeky smile. Hinata was visibly confused from this. The eldest woman refocused her attention on her assistant. "Follow me and you'll see. Trust me, you _won't_ be disappointed."

The blond Hokage made her way down the hall and around a corner. Shizune let out a sigh of exasperation. "All right then, I am coming." After both were out of view and a few moments of silence passed a squeal was heard. "KAWII!" Needless to say, Hinata became curious.

**With the older pair.**

The Hokage stood in front of her assistant giving her a mischievous expression. "No Tsunade-sama! I know what you are thinking. _Don't_ do it." Shizune's expression was at full sternness.

Tsunade put on the best innocent expression she could. "_What_, I can't have a little womanly fun, Hey, I got an idea."

Shizune feigned curiosity. "Oh, and what is that.?"

"We make a bet on her reaction. I win, you stop hounding me for a week. You win, I give up sake for a week." Thinking it over for a moment, Shizune agreed with a nod. "Okay, time to place your bets. I bet she runs out of the room in embarrassment."

Thinking it over for a few seconds, Shizune placed her bet. "I bet that she faints."

**With Hinata.**

Pale lavender eyes focused on the door as Hinata waited for the pair's return. The door clicked then opened, revealing the two older women. The blond woman looked down at Hinata. "Do you want to see what that was about?"

Nervous, but still curious, Hinata nodded. "H-hai." Tsunade walked over to Hinata as Shizune tried to hide her giggling. Reaching into her jacket, Tsunade pulled out a thin white square that Hinata recognized as the backside of a photo. Hinata's breath became shallow from anticipation as Tsunade fiddled with turning the photo around. "Just get _on_ with it."

Tsunade snorted and spoke childishly. "Thanks for ruining my fun." She slowly turned the picture around. Hinata's eyes widened in shock when she realized that it was a picture of her sleeping on Naruto from the night before. Her skin color changed form near white to blood red in record time because of how uncomfortable she felt knowing that there was photographic evidence to that compromising position. She passed out shortly thereafter due to the constant stream of excess blood reaching her brain.

Tsunade began going into a fit of hysterics. "I... Seriously thought that...her ... head was going to.. burst!"

Shizune giggled much louder than before. This action preceding her switching to a half serious, half happy expression. Her next three words were spoken in a sing-song voice. "Oh Tsunade-sama." Once she had the blonde's attention, she continued. "Looks like you won't be having sake for a week."

The laughing woman quit that action and quickly put on a pleading expression. "_Aw_, come _on_, you _can't _be serious."

Shizune threw back her head and smiled victoriously. "_Oh_, I am completely serious. You should have thought about making that kind of bet with me. You know as well as I do how bad your luck is. Anyways, both gambling and alcoholism are habits a Hokage shouldn't have. I hope this brings you one step closer to quiting both."

**Room 318**

"45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50." The blond continued his count with each push up he performed. Naruto wanted to do as many as possible before being found out. Through his exercising, only one thought went through his mind. "I failed. I couldn't keep my promise to Sakura-chan. He beat me because I wasn't strong enough to make him come back. I will bring him back, no matter how long it takes."

Cutting off Naruto's thoughts, the door clicked. Reacting almost on instinct, Naruto was back in his bed sheets with is back to the wall. When the door opened, Naruto's bright blue eyes became even brighter at the sight of a familiar mixture of red and pink. Exuberantly, the blond smiled and waved at the visitor. "Hey there Sakura-chan." The green eyed girl smiled lightly at the energetic greeting from her hyperactive teammate. Naruto then looked down with a sad expression. "I am sorry for not bringing Sasuke back."

Sakura mirrored the blonde's movements and expression. "Don't worry about it."

Naruto looked intently at the pink haired girl with regret, desperation, and dedication shining from his eyes. She looked up at him as soon as he began speaking. "No Sakura-chan." He reverted to his previous position and expression. "I promised that I would bring Sasuke back, no matter what. I _will_ keep that promise, no matter what."

Sakura was frozen in place except for her growing smile. "Arigato, but promise me one more thing."

The whiskered boy looked up at her with a confused expression. "Sure thing Sakura, what is it?"

Sakura tilted her head and smiled gently. "Next time you go after Sasuke, I am coming with you."

Naruto blinked owlishly before smiling his wide fox grin. "Sure thing Sakura-chan. Together, you and me will bring Sasuke back for sure." The blond held his fist between himself and Sakura.

"Well isn't this touching." The sudden voice of a woman shocked both teens.

"TSUNADE-OBAA-CHAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" The young blond tried to hide his blush with irritation.

Tsunade popped a vein due to the loudmouth's bluntness. She was only able to keep from hitting the blond because of his teammates presence. Unfortunately for Naruto, Sakura did not have the same apprehension. "BAKA, you should have more respect for Hokage-sama than that."

Naruto groaned while rubbing his sore spot. As Tsunade looked upon the scene, she could not help but replace Naruto and Sakura with an image of Jiraiya and herself at a younger age. "Naruto, have you told Sakura-san about your trip yet?"

Sakura looked at Tsunade and tilted her head in confusion. "What trip Hokage-sama?"

She pointed at Naruto lazily. "Ask him."

Both women were looking at him intently. "Well Sakura-chan, going after Sasuke will have to wait. I have to go on a three year long training trip with Ero-sennin. I don't really have a choice."

Sakura was still confused. "Who is Ero-sennin?"

Tsunade turned her gaze towards Sakura. "Ero-sennin as Naruto _so _aptly put it is none other that one of the legendary Sannin like myself, Jiraiya."

Sakura turned her shocked face towards Naruto." You are going to be training with one of the Sannin for three years."

"Hai, but I don't know how much training I am going to get done with that pervert doing his _research_ all of the time."

Tsunade could barely manage turning her emerging sadistic grin into a regular one. "Don't worry about _that _Naruto. I will _personally_ make sure that your training is a priority for the pervert." She could no longer contain that grin.

Naruto remained completely oblivious to the woman's expression. "You can really do that. Thanks a million Obaa-chan."

Although she felt a twinge of anger from the overused grandma comment, Tsunade knew exactly where to direct it. "Hai, just make sure you give me a full report on how your training went."

"Hai Obaa-chan." He grinned his usual fox grin.

Irritated at not one but two of Naruto calling the Hokage grandma, the emerald eyed hot head did what she usually does. "You baka, show Hokage-sama some respect."

Naruto either ignored or didn't hear his teammates words as he proceeded to sooth the sore spot. "Ow, why does everyone keep hitting me on my head."

Tsunade smiled smugly at him. "Because you are a baka."

"Humph."

"Well, I think it is time for us to leave. Come on Sakura-san." The woman used he fingers to beckon the pink haired girl to follow but continued to look at Naruto. "Before we leave, I have two tings to tell you. One, make sure you tell everyone you know that you are leaving. That includes your teammates for your last mission and their teammates as well. Two, _do not_ leave tis room till your three days are up."

Looking at the woman's deceptive smile, Naruto could only nod nervously.

Leaving the room with the commanding blond, Sakura went into deep thought. "Naruto is going to be training with one of the Sannin so he can be strong enough to bring Sasuke-kun back. _What _am I doing? I did nothing to bring him back. Maybe I should.. no she wouldn't want to wast her time with me. Although... it may be unfortunate but Sasuke-kun is also training with a Sannin. It would be ironic if she said yes. I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask. Ts-Tsunade-sama?"

This caught the woman's attention for two reasons. "She doesn't strike me as someone who would stutter unless she was severely nervous and I do believe that that was the first time she called me by name. What is it Sakura-san?"

Sakura tried to steel herself and fixed determined emerald eyes on the intimidating authority figure. "I would.. _well _... can you take me as your apprentice."

To say the age disguised Hokage was shocked would have been an understatement. With a change in expression, Tsunade thought about the proposition. "I _have_ been meaning to get started on my medical training program." She could not help but giggle at the irony of each of the former members of team seven training under a Sannin. "Hai, but I will make one thing very clear." She grinned sadistically. "I am a lot tougher that my old teammates. It.. won't.. be.. easy."

"Arigato Tsunade-sama." She bowed. "I won't let you down."

"Good but from now on, I want you to call me Tsunade-sensei."

"H-hai Tsunade-sensei."


	8. Boredom: Chapter 8

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

_**I may …create-something.. improvised-by- … combining-the.. above.**_

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Hinata found herself sleeping on Naruto but was only lightly embarrassed because she thinks no one saw her. After seeing that Naruto would be fine, she breaks down and confesses her love for the blond. He wakes up and she runs out and faints. Woken back up, she meets Shizune who is taken away by Tsunade. They return and send her back to dreamland with a picture. Back with Naruto, his exercising is interrupted by Sakura's entrance. They talk for a bit then are interrupted by Tsunade. Sakura learns about the training trip and hits Naruto a few times. When she and Tsunade leave the room, she asks to be the woman's apprentice.)

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**I hate to say this but this chapter happens to be quite boring but it is needed to progress the story. That is actually part of the reason the title is what it is.**

**PS: As of April 29, 2009, an anonymous reviewer called naruhinaultrasuperfan4437 has been putting in reviews early into the story without giving me any way to reply. This is to tell her that consistent Naruto/Hinata interaction hasn't happened, even up to the newest chapters. If that is what you are looking for, check out "Edel Raid and Pleasure" my other very active story.**

After a total of a hundred push ups including the ones before Sakura's entrance, Naruto continued his workout with fifty squats, fifty reverse squats by standing on the ceiling, fifty pull ups on the ceiling, and five-hundred punches and kicks, two-hundred and fifty per limb. He would have preferred to hit the walls but if he did that it would bring attention to himself. Much later, the barely tired blond had only two things to say. "I'm bored. I wish that someone would come in here to talk with me."

Without a doubt on cue, the door clicked and opened revealing a man with gravity defying silver grey hair and a leaf headband covering his left eye. The common chunin/jonin outfit and the face mask identified him as Kakashi Hatake. "KAKASHI-SENSEI, boy am I glad to see you.

The man was unresponsive to the greeting as he stared at the knucklehead with his eye barely open. The only way to tell the man was sad was the way his head was tilted forward. Catching on this subtlety the way only Naruto would, the blond spoke in a much quieter voice. "What's wrong Kakashi-sensei?"

The jonin looked up at his now attentive student. "I'm sorry. ...I'm sorry I could not break Sasuke out of his quest for revenge and power. Sorry I didn't train you or Sakura enough. And sorry I was too late to bring _both_ you and Sasuke back to the village safely."

"Don't worry about it. We _will_ bring him back. I promised Sakura that I will do it. I never go back on my word.. that is my nindo.. my ninja way." He smiled a cheeky smile. "Besides, you are always late."

Letting out a small chuckle, the jonin relaxed slightly. "It always amazes me how Naruto always has that ability to get the desired result out of someone with just as few choice words. It is even more amazing that he can do it without trying. All right then. Since I know that you will never go back on your promise, I am going to train both of you to the best of my abilities."

Hearing this, the blond rubbed the back of his head nervously and wore a sheepish grin. His eyes were closed as usual. "_Well_, about that, I won't be able to train with you. I am going to be training with Ero-sennin. I'm leaving with him for three years."

Each of those three sentences caused Kakashi's one eye to widen bit by bit until it looked like it was about to pop out. The jonin was fully aware of his tactless student's tendency to apply insulting nicknames to some people he knows. On top of that, he knew that the person Naruto so affectionately dubbed Ero-sennin was none other than Jiraiya of the legendary Sannin.

As Naruto opened his eyes slowly, they snapped back shut as he rolled over in a fit of laughter. "Man.. you should have seen your... face. I swear, ... I thought your eye was going to pop out."

After returning his eye back to its usual lazy half-lidded state, Kakashi released an exasperated sigh. "I forgot that along with his ability to inspire almost anyone to do almost anything, he has an uncanny ability annoy them." He chuckled and eye-smiled. "It wouldn't be Naruto if he didn't. Well, now that we are finished here, I will be on my way."

"WAIT, don't go." He reached out to his sensei with tears cascading down his face. "It is _so_ boring here."

Kakashi continued to eye smile. "Why don't you leave?"

Naruto sat with his arms and legs crossed and pouted. "I may be bored, but I am not suicidal. If I leave, Obaa-chan will kill me."

"_Okay then ..._ ja ne." With that, the cyclops waved lazily and departed with a swirl of white smoke.

In response, the blond vein bulged and shook his fist. "WHAT'S UP WITH THAT? A KID ASKS YOU TO KEEP HIM COMPANY AND YOU JUST LEAVE HIM. WHEN I GET BACK, I AM GOING TO GET YOU FOR THIS. WHAT KIND OF SENSEI _DOES_ THAT TO HIS STUDENT?" Still fuming, Naruto decided to blow off some steam with exercise.

**With Hinata.**

"Where am I?" She sat up then let her pale lavender eyes dart side to side. "I'm still in the hospital. I must have fainted again, but why?" Her eyes widened in shock when the realization hit her. Jumping out of bed, Hinata ran out of her room, through the halls, down the stairs, and out of the hospital. She had only one destination, the Hokage's tower.

The pedestrians along the road were treated to an unimaginable sight. Hinata Hyuga, the shy, reserved, and quiet heiress to the Hyuga clan was sprinting at full speed franticly. "Please be there and for all that is good, please don't show anybody else."

Reaching her destination, she sprinted into the tower, up the stairs, and to the large door into the Hokage's office. As she quickly pushed the doors open, the two guards had a collective thought. "If anyone other than Naruto comes here like that it has to be urgent, especially if they are a Hyuga."

**A few seconds earlier in the office.**

"I _hate_ this paperwork. It is _so_ stressful. What I wouldn't give for Naruto-baka to barge in here to give me an entertaining diversion." She sighed. "Unfortunately that won't be happening since even he would be crazy to try that."** Naruto sneezed causing him to fall of the ceiling and hit his head.**

As if on cue, the door swung open. Half expecting to see the enigma known as Naruto Uzumaki, Tsunade was shocked to see not a familiar blend of golden blond, blue, and orange but a mixture of ink blue, pale lavender, and beige. Tsunade did not have time to say anything before the visitor spoke. "Hokage-sama."

Tsunade blinked in confusion. "Hinata-chan, what are you doing here?"

Slightly winded by her sprint, Hinata's eyes darted throughout the room until they fixed themselves on a small wooden square propped on the left side of the Hokage's desk. Following her visitor's eyes, she found them focused on her favorite photo that she just procured and smiled at the winded Hyuga. "So that is why she came. For a second there, I thought that you were Naruto-baka from the way you barged in here."

The easily embarrassed girl blushed a dark pink at the comparison between herself and Naruto before realizing what she has done and how disrespectful it was. Hinata bowed. "G-g-gomen H-Hokage-sama. Pl-please forgive m-me for my intrusion."

She waved her hands dismissively. "_Don't worry about it_. Truthfully, I have been hoping for a diversion."

Hinata remained bowing. "I hope she hasn't shown anyone else. Pl-please, d-don't show anybody el-else."

"Hump, and I thought you were going to ask me to give it to you. It is not like I have a hundred other copies anyways. Got to love the copy machine ... except when it is making more paperwork."

"A HUNDRED OTHERS! " Hinata stood strait up, blushed blood red, began to sway, and used every ounce of willpower she had to keep herself conscious. She knew it would only take one more push to send her over the edge.

"Besides, I have already shown two others." At a time when any word or sudden movement could have broken Hinata's concentration enough for her to lose control and faint, this was overkill.

Using insane speed that one could only get form years of training, Tsunade managed to catch the falling girl before the back of her head had a sudden introduction to the floor. Instantly, the medical expert's had began to glow green as she used small amounts of healing chakra to reduce the blood flow on the red faced girl.

Waking up from her shortest fainting spell ever, Hinata looked up at the blond woman supporting her. She quickly jumped out of her arms with a slight blush and took up her protective posture. "Ho-Hokage-sama, wh-what am I d-doing here.

After standing back up, Tsunade confirmed that Hinata was genuinely confused and therefore decided to jog her memory. "I was just telling you who I showed that picture to."

Hinata regained her previous blush. "Who.. who d-did you sh-show?"

"Just your sensei and your quieter teammate."

**Flashback.**

Tsunade sat at her desk with her fingers interlocked. "Ah, Shino-san, Shibi-san. Good to see that you are back from your mission. If you wouldn't mind, I would like Shino-san to give me the mission report."

The two males before her looked at each other with unreadable expressions and nodded slightly.

The one on the left wore the average shinobi foot wear, loose dark blue pants that stopped at the shins, and a high collar grey. He had spiky _dark_-brown hair, fuzz on his upper lip, and a pair of round sunglasses just large enough to hide his eyes. Tied to his back by a brown strap was a small gourd.

The one on the right looked like a smaller version of the former minus the fuzz and the gourd. He walked forward and began to speak in a monotone voice. "The mission was successful. The rumors that bee swarms were terrorizing villagers and travelers were indeed based on the disbanded Kamizuru clan from Iwa. The one foe was easily disposed of. We suppose that there are others elsewhere."

Tsunade nodded. "Very well." She turned her gaze towards the older Aburame. "Shibi-san, I will expect a full written report later, dismissed. Shino-san, you can stay."

Both grey garbed shinobi nodded at each other before the taller of the pair left. Tsunade knew that most if not all Aburame preferred to stand so she did not bother to ask him to sit. "Two days ago, Sasuke Uchiha left the village to go to Oto. In response, we sent a five man team to retrieve him consisting of your teammate Kiba-san along with Choji Akimichi, Neji Hyuga, Naruto Uzumaki, and Shikamaru Nara as squad leader." **Insert short time skip. **"All in all, everyone managed to survive while Oto lost five of their stronger shinobi but unfortunately gained Sasuke."

Shino stood there silently as he listened to every word, raising an eyebrow at some of the more surprising parts. "I take it that Kiba is in the hospital."

Tsunade nodded. "Yes, he is, but before you leave, I rather it be on a much lighter note. I would like to show you something involving you other teammate, Hinata Hyuga." Shino raised both eyebrows when he noticed the mirth in Tsunade's eyes and expression.

Before anything else could be done, the large wooden doors opened to reveal the red eyed Kurenai. She looked at both occupants with a confused expression before bowing. "Gomen Hokage-sama. Am I interrupting something."

Tsunade now wore a closed eye smile. "Not at all Kurenai-san. In fact, your timing is just perfect. Just give me your mission report I will continue where I left off. Shino-san, you can stay here."

The Aburame nodded and moved to the left corner in the back to let his sensei reach the front of the desk. Kurenai gave her report with practiced precision. "The mission was a success. The bandits were easily removed. Luckily, the lone shinobi amongst the group had no ability in detecting or dispelling genjutsu."

Tsunade sat in the same position as before, with her fingers interlocked in front of her face. "Very well, I will expect a full written report later." Finished with her rehearsed lines, Tsunade switched from her intense stare to a closed eye smile. "Now that we are finished with that, lets get back to what we were doing. Shino-san, if you please.

He left his corner and walked up to the Hokage's desk and stood in front of it silently. The woman held in front of Shino a photo that he was sure was not there before. "I would like you to take a look at this and give me your input on it."

Shino took the photo from the woman's hands and gave it a good long look. "This is ... an interesting image. Is it genuine."

The woman's grin grew even wider. "Hai, it is. At first is used a simple genjutsu on her so she could get some well needed rest during her visit. I came back later to find them in that position. I couldn't let it be forgotten to the world so I ran to the nearest store and _convinced_ them to let me buy a camera. I returned as quickly as I could and preserved the moment."

Shino simply nodded and handed the photo back. "I suggest that Kiba-san not see this. He enjoys teasing."

Kurenai was completely confused by the interaction due to a lack of information. "Is this something I should see. So far, I have noticed that it concerns two of my students."

Tsunade temporarily ignored the genjutsu mistress. "You are dismissed Shino-san. You would probably not want to be here to hear Kurenai-san's reaction."

Shino nodded in approval and left the grinning Hokage and his irritated sensei alone in the room. Tsunade looked at Kurenai with a very cheeky smile. "This actually concerns all three of your students."

Thinking about that, Kurenai was able to put together one of the pieces of the puzzle that was the previous conversation and looked at her superior with a stone hard gaze. "You cast a genjutsu on my Hinata-chan?"

Tsunade was completely unaffected by the stony gaze. "Hai, I did, and it was completely worth it to." She held out the photo to the red eyed jonin and grinned. "Here, take a look."

Taking hold of the photo, Kurenai's expression gaze immediately softened when she looked at the image. She tried to contain her squeal but failed miserably. "KAWAII!" She blushed because of the outburst. "Gomen Hokage-sama. That was completely inappropriate."

Tsunade kept smiling and waved dismissively. "Not at all. You actually managed to keep your volume below Shizune's and we were in the hospital at the time. If you would like, I could give you a copy. I already gave Shizune one."

Kurenai smiled gratefully. "Hai, I would really like to have one. I plan to put it where I can see it every day."

Opening her upper left desk drawer, Tsunade picked up a single slip off of what looked like a five inch stack. "Here you go. Dismissed."

"Arigato Hokage-sama." She bowed and left.

**Flashback end.**

Hinata let free a small sigh of relief. "Shino-kun wouldn't talk about anything unless it was necessary and the first person Kurenai-sensei will want to talk to about the photo would be me."

"Now that I have placated your fears, you can leave."

Hinata stepped back a bit and donned her protective posture. "G-gomen." She left.

"She may have asked me not to show anybody else that photo _but_ I never agreed to that. Who should I show next. Maybe Sakura-san and those nice people at Ichiraku." Tsunade giggled like a little girl at the possibilities.

The woman hid the framed photo in the upper right drawer, pulled out two small square slips, and left the room.

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**Review and check out my profile. Ja ne.**


	9. Hidden Eyes: Chapter 9

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." After a continuation of his workout session, Naruto was visited by his sensei Kakashi. Kakashi learned of the training trip and then left the bored Naruto alone. Back with Hinata, she woke up and then sprinted to the Hokage's office after remembering the reason for her fainting before. Upon arrival, she finds that two others have seen the photo and faints as a result, only to be quickly revived. Hinata learns who Tsunade showed while said woman has a flashback about the event. Shino and his father returned from a mission. After Shibi's departure, Kurenai appears and gives her own mission report. Shino is first to see the photo and has little reaction. After he leaves, Kurenai sees it and has a loud reaction. She then leaves with her own copy. Back in real time, Hinata leaves the room at which time Tsunade decides to take a photo to Sakura and the pair at Ichiraku.)

* * *

Walking through the streets, Hinata could feel a tightness in her abdomen. Looking for a way to placate her hunger, she just happened upon Ichiraku Ramen yet again. Making a sharp turn, she entered the stand. "He-hello, Teuchi-san, A-Ayame-san."

Ayame looked up at her lavender eyed customer. "Hello there Hinata-chan. What would you like this time."

"Ano, I-I would like to h-have a miso ramen p-please."

"Hai."

Moments later, Hinata had a steaming hot bowl of ramen sitting in front of her. After a minute of eating in silence, she noticed that Teuchi was cooking for non-existent customers as Ayame cleaned dishes. After paying for the meal, Hinata prepared to leave only to be stopped by Teuchi. "Wait, before you leave, I would like you to do a little favor for me." Hinata just nodded shyly.

Ayame grabbed Hinata's bowl and proceeded to take it for cleaning before stopping to stare at the bowl with a smile. She brought up her free hand and took out the chopsticks. She then put the bowl into the sink with the rest of the remaining dirty dishes.

Teuchi did not turn to face Hinata as he continued cooking. "Can you take some of our ramen to Naruto-kun."

"M-m-m-me take r-ramen t-t-to N-Naruto-kun." She blushed a light pink.

"Hai, he is always complaining how bad the hospital food taste."

Hinata looked down and twiddled with her fingers. "H-hai."

After a fresh bowl of ramen has been made, Ayame snatched up the bowl and put in a pair of chopsticks that were already separated, which Hinata paid no mind to. The teen handed the bowl to Hinata and spoke cheerfully. "Make sure you get it to him before it cools and don't worry about paying." Still blushing, Hinata took the bowl and walked off. Ayame smiled at her own childish yet deceptive idea. As Hinata walked towards the hospital, she failed to notice Tsunade approaching the ramen stand.

Hinata managed to reach the hospital much faster than usual due to the faster pace she walked at. She was able to go up the stairs without interruption since it was still visiting hours for that day. She froze at the door of room 318. The only thing keeping her from taking up her protective posture was the fact that she was holding his bowl of ramen. "Maybe I shouldn't. What if he doesn't want any because I delivered it." Her thoughts were cut off by a low rumbling coming from inside the room. "Is he sleeping?"

Sure she could get in and out without being noticed, Hinata walked in and saw Naruto sleeping soundly on his bed, confirming her previous thought.. After setting the ramen on the stand beside his bed, Hinata left the room. "Good night Naruto-kun."

When she got half way down the hall, Hinata heard a fairly loud yell. "RAMEN!" She couldn't keep herself from giggling at her love interest's outburst.

**Five second earlier in Naruto's room.**

A familiar scent filled the young teens nose and woke him up. Looking off to the side, the blond boy saw a bowl on the stand beside his bed. He took just a second to realize what it was. "RAMEN!" He clamped his hands together and looked up with cascading tears. "Arigato Kami-sama."

He took the bowl and the chopsticks into his hands and proceeded to eat the meal at a much slower pace than usual due to the fact that ramen, let alone Ichiraku ramen, was a rare meal to have in the hospital.

As he ate, Naruto noticed that something was different. "It is not the temperature. It is not as hot as I want it to be but I have eaten cooled ramen before. It can't be because I am eating it in the hospital because I have done that too. It can't be the taste because it taste just the same as usual. It just _feels_ different. It feels good." The smiling Naruto proceeded to eat the ramen at an even a slower pace, savoring each and every bite.

Shortly after finishing his ramen, the door of Naruto's room began to open. He was surprised to see two of the members of team eight on the other side. "Shino, Kurenai-sensei, what are you two doing here."

It was Shino who took the initiative. "We visited Kiba-san and decided to visit the others." Naruto nodded. "From what the others told us, you went the farthest. What happened?"

Naruto looked at the floor dejectedly. "It was either bring Sasuke back dead or not at all." Shino accepted the answer with a nod.

The dark haired genjutsu mistress decided to put in her own two cents. "That must have been a hard choice for you. Let us hope that it was the right one."

Naruto replaced his expression with one of steely determination. "Don't worry, I don't know how long it will take or how many tries I will need, but I will bring him back." He looked down as if in thought. "I promised Sakura-chan that I would." He looked at Kurenai with once again steeled eyes and clinched his fists. "I don't go back on my word, that is my nindo.. my ninja way."

Looking at the blond, both onlookers could not help but believe that he would succeed. Shino was first to speak. "Naruto-san. I regret being unable to assist you on that mission. I request that I be present for your next attempt."

Naruto smiled a smile that exuded actual happiness. "Shino is a lot cooler that I thought." Naruto took on his nice guy pose. "Hai Bugs." **He nicknames people he respects so why not?**

"Was that an insult or compliment. When do you expect your next attempt to be?"

Naruto began rubbing the back of his head nervously. "_Well_, about that. I won't be able to go for another try for at least three years."

Both visitors' eye brows raised considerably. "Th-three years?"

Naruto kept rubbing his head. "Hai, I am leaving for a three year training trip in a week. I will be training with Ero-sennin."

The genjutsu mistress was genuinely confused. "Ero-sennin, who is that?"

Naruto let his hand drop and looked at her with an expression of annoyance that was not particularly directed at anyone in the room "He told me that his name was Jiraiya but I just call him by what he is."

Eye brows once again raised above dark sunglasses. "Jiraiya-sama is one of the legendary Sannin. Why speak of him with such disrespect."

Scarlet eyes fixed themselves on the bug user. "Because Shino-kun, it is a very _deserving_ nickname for him considering he is the author of the Icha Icha series." Shino nodded in acceptance knowing his sensei's distaste for the books.

Kurenai turned to face the blond. The upper part of her face was cast in shadow as her crimson eyes gleamed menacing. **I will call this form of glaring the Shadow Stare.** "Naruto, if you come back a pervert like him, I will make sure that you won't be able to think strait for a week."

The blond gulped with only one thing on his mind. "She is scarier than Sakura-chan and Obaa-chan."

Shino was able to fully understand his sensei's actions. "Hinata-san considers Naruto a romantic interest. Kurenai-sensei sometimes considers herself as a mother figure to Hinata-san. For this reason, she will do her best to protect her in any way. I will admit that as her teammate, I would add additional days to that time frame."

Kurenai looked at the blond with a small smile. "Now that I got my point across, I will be leaving."

Once his sensei was out of the room, Shino turned to follow but stopped when he reached the door way. "Naruto-san, make sure you tell Hinata-san about your trip. She is very attached to all her comrades and would be distraught if one left for such a long period of time without informing her.

Though confused, Naruto accepted the bug user's reasoning and fox grinned. "Hai, I will Bugs. I won't forget." Shino nodded in acceptance and left.

**A few hours later in Hinata's bedroom.**

Hinata just sat through yet another uneventful dinner with her sister and father. After washing up, Hinata decided to just lay in her bed and wait. After enough time has passed so that it would be midnight when the rest of the clan should be sleeping, she got up out of bed and grabbed a towel. After leaving her room, Hinata closed the door slowly and gently.

Sneaking through the halls, the teen froze when she heard the sound of a door opening. Turning her head nervously, Hinata relaxed considerably when she saw who it was. "Onee-chan, are you sneaking out again."

"Hai."

Hanabi sighed. "Same as usual."

"H-hai, if you d-don't mind."

"Hai, just make sure you came back before Otou-sama finds that you are gone."

"Hai, an.. and arigato."

Hanabi nodded and went back into her room. Now that she was finished talking with her sister, Hinata continued her way out silently, happy that Hanabi was the only one who knows about her midnight excursions.

**Flashback.**

For the third time so far, Hinata was sneaking out of the Hyuga compound. Before she could react, a small figure turned the corner she was going turn just a few seconds later. Hinata jumped back in surprise. "H-H-Hanabi-chan."

Hanabi looked up at her elder sister as she rubbed her right eye with a balled fist. "Onee-chan." She yawned. "What are you doing up this late."

Hinata took up her protective posture. "P-please don't t-tell Otou-sama."

Hanabi looked up at her sister with a much more alert and scrutinizing expression. "Don't tell Otou-sama what?" Hinata immediately began sweating as she realized that she dug her own grave in that matter. Hanabi's eyes became even more scrutinizing. "Where are you going? Tell me or I tell Otou-sama."

Hinata began sweating even more as she knew that she is in a very tight spot. Deciding that she had no choice but to tell her younger sister, Hinata sighed loudly. "I-I have been w-working on a n-new jutsu."

Hanabi now looked up at her sister with a surprised expression. "A new jutsu? What is it?"

Hinata began to relax slightly as she went into a description of her jutsu. "I-it is a c-cross between sixty four palms a-and rotation. B-by concentrating m-my chakra in my p-palms, I-I can attack and d-defend at o-once."

Hanabi now looked up with her face taking a shocked and impressed expression with a twinge of excitement. "_Really_, can you teach it to me when you finish it?"

Hinata could not see any other way out of it. "H-hai, I will teach it t-to you but it m-may be a little for you t-to use. The jutsu re-requires that you have h-high flexibility."

Instead of becoming discouraged, Hanabi became even more determined. "If I am not flexible enough, I will just stretch until I am. By time you finish it, I should be able to perform it so it's settled. You teach me your jutsu and I don't tell Otou-sama."

Hinata nodded in agreement. "I can't help but think that I am being blackmailed."

**Flashback end.**

Out of the compound, Hinata made her way towards her destination. In the dead of night, silence ruled. The only sound was Hinata's feet connecting with the ground. This was why she trained at this time. Above all else, she wanted her training sessions to be kept secret. She could hardly imagine the embarrassment should anyone discover her. Hinata doubted she would even wake up should that someone be Naruto.

Eventually, she came across a round pond with a waterfall overlooking it and plenty of surrounding trees. After scanning the area briefly, Hinata proceeded to remove her cloths until she stood there in her birthday suit. She folded all of her garments neatly and placed them away from the waters banks. Despite the fact that the water was not very deep, Hinata still used her chakra to remain on the surface.

Now only a foot an a half from the falls, the Hyuga went through a familiar set of hand seals. "Byakugan." She then took on the stance for her new jutsu. Thrusting both hands forward, Hinata fired two needles of chakra that passed through the water and into the rocks behind. This caused a tiny explosion that sprayed pebbles and water towards the lone girl.

Without warning, Hinata's arms turned into blurs as they left behind strings of chakra that destroyed every projectile. As she did this, the Hyuga fired of even more needles so she could keep up the constant barrage of pebbles and water.

When the pebbles or water droplets came in contact with one of the chakra strings they burst in a mist of dust and water that surrounded Hinata without ever coming in contact with her. With the speed in which the projectiles were being destroyed, a haze began to form around her, hiding details from anyone fifteen or more feet away.

After three minutes, she began to start pushing herself. Even as she forced her arms to keep up the pace, they began to slow bit by bit. When a pebble struck her head thirty seconds later, she stopped firing needles and focused on the remaining projectiles. Once they were dealt with, Hinata cut off all chakra flow causing a simultaneous deactivation of her Byakugan and a drop into the water.

With her feet reaching the ground below, the water reached Hinata's shoulder. In the water, she manual washed the sweat off herself and let her heated body cool off. Once she caught her breath, Hinata made her way back to the shore. After reaching land, She dried herself off using the towel she brought with her. As she did so, Hinata felt satisfied at her progress. "The first time I tried training like this, I could hardly go half as long as this time."

Back to being fully dressed, Hinata made her way back to the Hyuga compound so she could get some rest and avoid being caught. Unknown to the Hyuga heiress, she was not the only one in that area. Well hidden in the surrounding foliage was a man wearing a black cloak that hid nearly all of his features. The only parts of his face you could see was the area between the chin and nose. His head turned to follow the girl. "_Such potential_." He disappeared in a streak of speed.

* * *

**Well I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think it ads a little bit of mystery. Of course some of you will be able to figure it out if you haven't already.**

**Feel free to leave any kind of review. I shouldn't be picky.**


	10. Spectator: Chapter 10

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Hinata once again stops at Ichiraku Ramen for a bite to eat. After she ate, she was asked to take a bowl of ramen to Naruto. Although hesitant, she still does so. Naruto yells for joy at his present and doesn't give a single thought to who gave it to him but notices that there was something different that he liked. When he finished, Shino and Kurenai entered his room. After some conversation and _frightening_, the pair left Naruto alone yet again. Back with Hinata, she left her room at midnight so she could train, encountering her sister along the way. A flashback shows how Hanabi found out about these training sessions and promised not to tell their father in return for Hinata teaching her the new jutsu. After her training Hinata returned to the compound unaware that someone was watching her with obvious interest.)

* * *

"IT HAS ONLY BEEN ONE DAY! WHY COULDN'T OBAA-CHAN JUST LET ME OUT WHEN I WOKE UP?"

As if on cue, the door opened. "Because, your body needs the time to recover, AND STOP YELLING IN THE HOSPITAL!"

"WHAT ARE YOU TAKING ABOUT? YOU ARE YELLING TOO!" Both blonds stared each other down angrily. "HOW DOES AND OLD LADY LIKE YOU GET TO BE SO LOUD?"

Naruto _effectively _hit on Tsunade's last nerve. Said woman glared at him with a shadow stare. "What did you just say?" She cracked the knuckles of both of her hands giving Naruto enough time to cower in fear before being sent to the left wall. As he slid down, a small crack in the wall could be seen, signifying that Tsunade was holding back immensely. She stood over Naruto and smiled smugly. "Maybe now you will learn to treat me with some more respect. Though I wouldn't bet a single yen on it." She then crossed her arms across her ample chest. "Now for the real reason I came here."

Naruto sat up with his back against the wall and his legs crossed in front of him. "_Real reason_, what is that?"

"The _real reason _that I came here was to tell you that I was in a good mood and was going to let you leave a day early, tomorrow afternoon to be exact." Tsunade smirked.

Naruto bolted up and hunched over a bit. His hands were clenched and elbows were bent at a ninety degree angle. His body trembled with excitement. **This will be the excited pose.** He then pumped his right fist into the air and hopped up and down while turning in a counterclockwise direction. "_ALL RIGHT_, THANKS A MILLION OBAA-CHAN!"

Tsunade leaned her head back and closed her eyes as her arms were still crossed. "_Well_, I was going to do that but you decided to tick me off. Now you have to wait until tomorrow night."

Naruto stopped right in the middle of his hopping around and wore a blank stupefied expression. He then turned towards the Hokage with cascading tears. "_That_'_s not fair_. I feel perfectly fine. Just _let me out_."

Tsunade leaned forward with a serious expression. "If you don't shut up now, I will return it to the previous time." Naruto silenced himself right then and there and sat down on the bed while still staring at the Hokage with a slightly irritated expression. Tsunade nodded. "Very good. You can leave at 21:00 tomorrow." She left the room and gave Naruto a back handed wave. "Stay in here until then _or else_."

Once she had left, Naruto began pouting. "_Man_, I hate being here. I'll bet that everyone else is having a good time."

**Elsewhere, with _guess who_.**

Morning sunlight filtered through the window, landing upon a sleeping Hinata's eyelids. With a groan, she sat up and rubbed her eyes gingerly. She always felt tired after each of her midnight excursions and would much prefer to stay in bed but she knew that is she did that, it would arouse suspicion in her father.

Out of bed, Hinata freshened herself up so she could be more alert and ready for the day. When she left her room, Hinata made her way to the kitchen, hoping she could find something good for breakfast.

When she got there, Hinata found the room empty. Looking through the fridge, the cream lavender eyed Hyuga found what she was looking for. Sitting down in one of the chairs, Hinata took a small bite into a palm sized cinnamon bun. When she was finished with it, Hinata left the kitchen and made her way out of the Hyuga compound.

As the young Hyuga traversed the central hall, she was unaware of the pair of pale eyes that trained themselves upon her. "Hinata, were are you going?"

Hinata stopped walking and stood rigid at the deep and stern voice. She then turned to face her father and took up her protective posture. "O-O-Otou-sama, I-I-I-I." Hinata stuttered as she tried to think of a reason for her leaving the compound. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When her lids opened, they showed her to be much calmer. "I-I decided to g-go training with m-my team. A-although Kiba-kun i-is still in the ho-hospital, b-both Kurenai-sensei a-and Shino-kun have come b-back from their m-missions."

Hiashi closed his eyes and let his head angle downward a bit as he kept up his stern expression. "Very well. Ensure that you do not return early this time around."

Hinata bowed at a seventy degree angle. "H-hai Otou-sama." Standing back up, Hinata turned towards the exit and departed slowly and gracefully. Away from her stuffy father's presence, Hinata relaxed her gait and left the compound. "I should go and meet my team like I said I would."

After a few minuets of walking through the forest path, Hinata arrived at the training ground for Team 8. As she expected, both Kurenai and Shino were there. Kurenai was standing in the middle of the field while Shino was leaning against a tree. Both of them looked at her but only Kurenai approached. The red eyed woman stood just in front of her female student, who was mostly focused on the uninteresting ground. "Hinata-chan, I would like to talk about a photo I recently received from Hokage-sama."

Hinata blushed a dark pink. "Ano, I-I know."

The genjutsu mistress looked at the young Hyuga teenager with slight surprise. "I guess that just means that we can skip the first part of this talk. First question, does Naruto-san know about it?"

"N-n-no, I-I don't think so. P-please don't sh-show h-him."

Kurenai released an exasperated sigh. "Hinata-chan, if he never finds out, you will most likely never have a chance with him."

Hinata's skin took on a much more normal tone as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "I-I kn-know, i-it is j-just, what if h-he doesn't l-like me or-or her h-h-hates me."

Kurenai placed her hand on her distraught student's shoulder and spoke in a kind voice. "Hinata-chan, you know as well as I do that Naruto-san would not do that. You better talk to him soon because if you don't, you may miss your chance."

Hinata looked up at her sensei and assumed her protective posture. "M-miss my chance? Wh-what do you m-mean?"

"We heard from Naruto-san himself that in about six days from now, he will be leaving for a training trip. A trip that will last three years.

Hinata's eyes widened in total shock. "THREE YEARS! I can barely stand three weeks without being able to see him, but three years. I don't know if I can do that."

The Hyuga's musings were cut off by the kind voice of the genjutsu master. "Hinata-chan, you need to talk to Naruto-san before it is too late or you will be regretting it for all of those three years. I don't want that for you. Promise me that will talk to him before he leaves."

Hinata's pale eyes once again focused on the ground. "I..I'll try."

Kurenai sighed once again. "_Well_, that is all anyone can ask of you."

"G...gomen."

The red eyed woman's gaze switched from soft and kind to serious and focused as she spoke in a matching voice. "Don't say that. You need to have more confidence in yourself. That won't happen if you keep apologizing for everything that is not your fault _or_ if you keep doubting yourself."

G-g ... Hai Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai sighed yet again and stood up, removing her hand from Hinata's shoulder in the process. "Now that we have gotten that settled, we should get to training. But before that, Hinata-chan, you told us that you were working on a new jutsu. Is it ready for a demonstration."

The Hyuga thought about it for a few seconds. "H-hai, I th-think it is."

Kurenai clasped her hands together as one would when making a decision. **I will call this a decisive clap.**"Okay then, so far all that you have told us about your jutsu was that it can be used either offensively or defensively. She turned her head towards the coated bug user. "Shino-san, could you come join us."

Hearing his sensei's request, Shino stopped leaning on the tree behind him and silently made his way to the two females. When he arrived, Kurenai pulled out a kunai and lightly tossed it at him. Shino of course caught it. Kurenai held up her index finger and closed her eyes. **Lets call this the informative pose.**"First we are going to test your jutsu's defensive capabilities. For this, I am going to have Shino-san throw a kunai at you."

Hinata's eyes widened in shock when she heard this. "K-k-kunai, wh-what if I c-c-can't b-block it."

"Do not worry Hinata-chan. The kunai is blunted. The most you will get for messing up is a small bruise."

Hinata nodded. "H-hai."

Seeing her student get into a stance that she figured was connected to the jutsu, Kurenai nodded at the distanced Aburame who took it as a signal to throw the kunai.

Hinata knew the kunai was harmless but her eyes and brain turned to projectile into the very thing it was meant to represent. It flew towards her; sharp, deadly, an object with the full intention of taking her life.

Swinging one of her hands swiftly through the space between it and her, Hinata created a single string of chakra that remained suspended in the air, independent of its creator. Unfortunately, due to her nervousness, the kunai's side barely grazed the chakra and finished its aerial trip by impacting with its target's shoulder.

Hinata placed her opposite hand on the struck spot and prepared to cry not from the hardly noticeable pain but from the fact the she failed yet again. Shino faced her with his arms hung loosely. "Hinata-san, if you are tense and apprehensive, you will not perform properly."

Hinata nodded shakily and bent down to pick up the blunted kunai. She then stood up and tossed it to Shino's feet so he would not have to come to her or try to catch it. The Hyuga took many deep breaths so she could put herself into a more focused and calm state. After reassuming her jutsu's stance, she nodded at Shino, who took it as a cue to throw the kunai once again.

Both spectators watched the demonstration with focused eyes and baited breath, although it showed less in Shino. The projectile quickly closed the distance. When it was only a second from arms length, Hinata swiped her hand across the empty space forming foot long thread of chakra. Less the a forth of a second after its formation, the chakra had to fend off the projectile.

Three sets of eyes widened in shock from the results. The kunai's energy must have been reflected back at itself along with some kind of shock wave from the chakra. The kunai now lies on the ground at Hinata's feet. It was broken, malformed, and jagged. In one word, _junk_.

The silence was broken by the words of the eldest. "Hi-Hinata-chan, th-that was, for lack of a better term, _amazing_." Hinata, too surprised at the power of her jutsu, did not even blush at the compliment. Kurenai noticed Hinata's lack of a reaction. "Hinata, can you hear me?" This caught said girls attention. "Did you know your jutsu could do that?" Not trusting her voice, Hinata simply shook her head side to side.

Both Kurenai and Shino closed their eyes and took deep breaths in oder to calm themselves, although Shino once again looked motionless. He then walked up to his teammate and began to speak just as he stood right in front of her. "Hinata-san, you underestimate yourself. The power of your jutsu is proof enough to that statement. You are strong." Because she was back to her senses, Hinata blushed at the comment.

Kurenai smiled at the interaction. "Well, since we have seen you jutsu's defensive capabilities, lets see its offensive capabilities. By the way, what do you call your jutsu."

"Ano, I-I call i-it Protective Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms."

Kurenai's eyes widened slightly for a single instant. "She piratically named the jutsu after all the other jutsu the Hyuga clan use. I guess that if she didn't, the clan wouldn't even let her use it." After that thought, she pointed at one of the training logs. "Why don't you test your jutsu on that. Considering what you did to that kunai, I am going to watch from a distance just to be safe. Just make sure that you are careful not to hurt yourself.

Hinata blushed again at the obvious compliment before nodding and approaching the now unfortunate log. After backing up with the young bug user, Kurenai leaned down so she could whisper into his left ear. "Shino-san, if you don't mind, can you tell me how her jutsu works. I have _something_ I have to deal with."

Shino nodded in acceptance knowing that like himself, his sensei also must have noticed the hidden spectator that was sticking around _far_too long just to be a passerby. A short ways into the surrounding forest, the genjutsu mistress stopped just two feet in front of the stranger who was leaning nonchalantly against the middle of a tree despite the fact that they were at least forty feet in the air. His head was not turned towards Kurenai but off in the direction she came from.

All of his cloths were a forest camouflage color. He wore a large hooded cloak that hid everything but his face. A mask, not unlike the one Kakashi wears all of the time, hid his nose and everything below. The only identifying feature that was visible was a set of sky blue eyes.

The person's head and eyes turned towards the jonin before going back to where Kurenai knew her students were. Before she could do or say anything, the stranger spoke to her. "Took you long enough to get over here. I really wasn't making a real effort to hide my presence, if you don't include the clothes."

Kurenai could easily tell that the person was a man. She glared at him with her crimson eyes. "What are you doing here?"

He moved his head back slightly and spoke as if mocking her. "_Nothing_ much. I am _just_ observing. _That_ is quite an _impressive _jutsu for one so _young_. I have seen her practice it quite a few times."

Kurenai could see the man's small smile under his mask and felt her own anger rising. "What do you want with Hinata-chan!" She almost yelled but kept herself quiet in order to avoid alerting her students.

The man leaned his head back further and released amused laughter. When he finished, he brought his head back down facing the jonin. "Very good, you figured out part of my intent."

Kurenai's scarlet eyes widened in shock as she mentally prepared herself for a fight to the death for her shy and innocent student's safety and wellbeing. Forming hand signs, Kurenai prepared her strongest genjutsu. "Demonic Illusion: Fears of the Abyss."The man's widened eyes were all she needed to know that it took effect. She brandished a kunai and charged forward, aiming for his neck. Just as she was about to strike out, Kurenai closed her eyes as she always did just before making a kill.

When they opened, her kunai was embedded in the tree. Both of her hands were held together by his left hand so tightly that she would not be able to separate them. His free arm was wrapped around her neck. He also forced her to her knees. The position she was in caught Kurenai by complete surprise. "Now _now_, no need to be hasty." The chuckle he released after those words sent chills down Kurenai's spine.

* * *

**Wow, _EVIL_ cliff hanger. I think that this is my first real one. Feel free to type up any kind of review you want. Don't worry though. I am returning to my regular update time. New chapter Sunday. Chapter eleven has something in it that I bet _NO_ writer has ever done before. (You happy now.)**

**I decided to start giving the name of the next chapter from now on. You all can see it at the very bottom.**

**Next Chapter: Unknown Plan**


	11. Unknown Plan: Chapter 11

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Back with Naruto, he his complaining about having to stay in the hospital. This attracts Tsunade and they get in a short yelling match ending with Naruto against the wall. He then learns that he will get to leave a bit earlier. With Hinata, she wakes up and goes to eat breakfast. She encounters her father on the way out of the compound and tells him she is going training with her team. She arrives to find Kurenai and Shino already there. A conversation starts with the picture but leads to Hinata's new jutsu. Everyone was surprised by the results of the demonstration. As Hinata prepared to do an offensive demonstration, Kurenai left the immediate area to check on an extra spectator. She learned that he has some form of intent towards Hinata and attacked him. This resulted in her being pined.)

* * *

**Anybody can do what I did in this chapter, but I doubt that they can do it with a two day time limit along with going to school.**

**Also, this is the last chapter of my rapid updates. A new chapter will be out every Sunday from now on. Don't waste your time telling me to "update soon." Chapters will be once a week, unless I decide on a random Wednesday update.**

Over her immediate fear, Kurenai growled at the man behind her. "What do you want with her. This man can do anything he wants and I can't do a thing."

Another chuckle sent shivers down her spine yet again. "With what I have planed for the girl, she won't be hurt ... _much_. It will also be _quite_ entertaining for me. Whether she will enjoy the experience or not, I _don't_ know."

Kurenai's expression went from angry to beyond furious. "NO WAY AM I LETTING HE DO _THAT_TO MY HINATA-CHAN." Every inch of her body was used in trying to get out of the man's hold but he was too strong. A feeling of hopelessness clenched her heart.

After some deep thought, the man began laughing loudly into Kurenai's ear, infuriating her farther. It took five seconds for his laughter to subside. "Gomen, poor choice of words I'm afraid. I assure you that I am by no means a pedophile of any kind. If I wanted to do that, I would have done it already. Did you know that when she trains for that jutsu, she does so alone _and_in the nude. She trains on top of water so when she finises, she is wet, nude, and exhausted. Any genin could take her. No, my true intent is far different than that. She is actually lucky that I was there each time in case someone _did_ happen upon her."

A good deal of the woman's anger was replaced with relief. "Are you saying that you would protect her."

"Hai, she plays an intricate part in the future that I have planed out. I _so_ hate when things don't go according to plan so I will protect that future in any way possible. I have already planned for all possible obstacles."

Kurenai returned to glaring at the man. "What part does Hinata-chan play in your plans?"

"Hump, I don't think I am going to tell you _or_ anyone else that. But since you seam to think of yourself as the girls mother, I will tell you how I plan on getting things started." The man leaned in closer so he could whisper into his captive's ear. When He came back he saw a expected expression of shock on the woman's face. "Just to let you know, I will be watching you to keep you from spilling the beans, _so to speak_. I rather the Hokage be the second person to know, with _my_ choice of timing."

The man then let his chin rest on Kurenai's shoulder causing her to growl at how uncomfortably close he was getting with her. He fell into a deep state of thought before suddenly snapping out of it. "Now I am torn between leaving you here as you are or leaving you as ticked off as womanly possible."

Kurenai hardened her gaze towards him. "What do you mean 'ticked off as womanly possible?' I am already ticked, as you so eloquently put it."

The sky blue eyed man smiled hard enough to force his eyes closed. "_Well_, first I am going to tell you that I cast a genjutsu on your students so that they can't feel your killer intent. Second, you facial expression and tone of voice will appear calm to them. Now for the ticking you off part."

Kurenai could feel the arm around her neck move away from her only to feel the now free hand pressing forcefully on a more personal aspect of her body. Before she even had time to be angry, the man disappeared. Her arms trembled at her sides in anger as she could still feel the place where she was groped. "I swear, the next time I see that man, he..is..dead."

When Kurenai finally got back to her students, killer intent was coming off of her in waves. She wasn't surprised that her students were not reacting the it or that the log was decimated. When she reached Shino, she placed her hand on him, sending a burst of chakra into his system. The bug user turned towards Kurenai due to the sudden amounts of killer intent coming off her. She leaned down to whisper to Shino. "We need to talk to Hinata-chan." **9.**

Shino looked back at his sensei. "The spectator?" **4.**

Kurenai nodded. "Hai, he was watching Hinata-chan." **9.**

Shino turned his head back towards his female teammate. "If he wants Hinata-san, then we should inform her. We should also make sure that she remains calm as well." **26.**

Kurenai nodded again and stood up strait to approach Hinata, followed shortly by Shino. She place her hand on her other student's shoulder and broke the genjutsu on her as well. Hinata hesitantly turned her head back at the amount of killer intent she felt despite the fact Kurenai tried to restrain herself. "Kurenai-sensei, d-did I do s-something wr-wrong?" **15.**

Kurenai looked at the nervous teen with a serious expression. "No, it is not that. There is something other than your jutsu I have to tell you about." **22.**

"S-something else? W-w-what is it?" **9.**

**I will do a short skip because it is not time for you to know this yet.**

Hinata now stood in her protective posture. "M-maybe we sh-should tr-trust him i-if that is all h-he wants." **17.**

Shino being the voice of reason spoke next. "We do not know if he is lying or not, therefore. we can't trust him." **18.**

"Y..your right S-Shino-kun." **7.**

Kurenai dropped down to Hinata's eye level while wearing a hard expression. "You be careful Hinata-chan. This guy could be dangerous so stay safe. We should go see Kiba-san at noon so we can let _him_ know as well." **34.**

Hinata gave Kurenai a nod. "H-hai." **3.**

Kurenai stood back up. "Good, you two are dismissed. Go home and stay safe." **11.**All three went their separate paths. When alone, the genjutsu master felt a shift in her senses. "Genjutsu. ... Release!" After dispelling the jutsu, she whirled around to face the same stranger as before.

He chuckled. "You must be quite a genjutsu master to sense that."

She smiled smugly. I am the greatest genjutsu specialist in Konoha. You actually thought I wouldn't be able to dispel your genjutsu."

He chuckled again. "That title didn't help you much against me."

Kurenai's eyes widened. "That's right, he was able to dispel my best genjutsu instantly.How did you dispel my genjutsu _so_ quickly."

Another chuckle. "I didn't _dispel _it. It never took effect."

Her crimson orbs widened further. "W-what kind of ninjutsu are you using to do that."

He can't stop chuckling. "Although I _do_have a ninjutsu that makes me immune to genjutsu, I never use it in that manner."

Eyes grew even wider. "If it is not ninjutsu... Is it a Fūjutsu?" **Sealing jutsu.**

"Once again no. Since you are apparently out of choices, I will tell you that it is technically a taijutsu."

"T-t-taijutsu?"

This time the man sighed. "Hai, it _is_a taijutsu that makes me immune to genjutsu believe it or not. It takes no chakra in any way, shape, or form to use. Only a taijutsu can be described that way."

"H-how?"

"I am not going into a detailed description but I will tell you that the jutsu is called Seikūken. I would also like to tell you that you did not dispel the genjutsu I cast upon you."

Kurenai felt a bit annoyed that all she learned about the jutsu was it's name. She glared at him for the second sentence. "Are you saying that I am still under your genjutsu."

"No, I am saying that what you felt earlier was not the casting of my genjutsu but the removal of it."

Kurenai's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

The man sighed. "I am saying that it is far easier to detect my Interaction Distortion Jutsu when it is being removed that when it is being put into place. You are actually the first to detect it's activation but thanks to how the jutsu works, I was able to change your memories."

"That is not possible. How can this random man perform a genjutsu of such caliber. Where did he come from?"

He laughed loudly yet again. "I see that you don't believe me. How about I show you what your students saw." He then flew though a blur of hand seals. "Memory Transfer Jutsu."

**Flashback.**

A smiling Kurenai placed her hands on Shino's shoulder to catch his attention. "I was nothing. How's Hinata-chan." **9.**

"Her ninjutsu?" **4.**

"Kurenai nodded. "Hai, _How _did she inflict that damage?" **9.**

Shino tuned his head back towards his female teammate. "Its speed and power are high. Her arms became blurs as she blew off and cut off many portions of the wood." **26.**

Kurenai nodded again then stood up. She then walked to Hinata, followed by Shino. When she got to her pupil, Kurenai placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. Hinata slowly turned her head in order to face her sensei. "Kurenai-sensei, d-do you think I-I did alri-right?" **15.**

Hinata's eyes met with a kind smile. "You did very well. By making a jutsu like that one, you have proven yourself quite strong." **22.**

"M-me strong. No I-I-I can't be." **9.**

Not liking the doubts in Hinata's eyes, Kurenai tried to quell them. "Hinata-chan, you _are_strong. You are always working harder than anyone else to better yourself. A trait that I am happy to say you got from a certain good influence in your life. I believe his name was Naruto Uzumaki."

"N-Naruto-k-kun, I-I can't b-be as strong as h-he is." **17.**

Seeing his teammate's distress, Shino decided to put in his two cents. "You truly underestimate yourself Hinata-san. You are quite strong." **18.**

"Re..really S-Shino-kun?" **7.**

Shino nodded as Kurenai dropped down to the Hyuga's eye level. "Hinata-chan, you are strong. Don't let anyone tell you different. Let's tell Kiba-san about your jutsu at noon. He'll tell you the same things." **34.**

Hinata nodded. "H-hai." **3.**

Kurenai stood up then. "Good, you two are dismissed. Go home and relax." **11.**

**End Flashback.**

Breathing hard and sweating, Kurenai glared into the camouflaged man's light blues eyes. "What... what was that?"

"Didn't I tell you. That is what your students saw."

"You did all of that with one genjutsu. Even I can't do that."

He release three loud laughs. "Actually it was two genjutsu. One on you and one on your students."

She went wide eyed again. "That is not possible. No one should be able to do that. Your genjutsu has to have some kind of limitation."

He began to smile broadly under his mask. "That is the genius part of my genjutsu that makes it so that only I can use it properly. With all of the things that I can control and reshape in m Interaction Distortion Jutsu, I cannot change the amount of speech between scenarios. As a genjutsu specialist, you should have very good memory. If you play each scenario through your head, you will find that each has the same number of syllables."

After thinking about it for a few seconds, Kurenai found herself in a state of complete shock. "He is not lying.Why do you use such a difficult genjutsu."

"Simple, it makes it so I can put more focus on making the jutsu difficult to detect. Besides, with my talent with Haiku, matching up syllables has become natural for me. I will say that it was especial difficult this time because I also had to make sure that the time between each of Hinata's stutters were the same as well."

He eyes widened a bit. "Genjutsu must be your _best_ skill."

"Hump, actually genjutsu happens to be my weakest subject. I have none that can be used in battle."

Even further. "I-if that's so then what is your best."

"That would have to be taijutsu with ninjutsu a good bit behind."

Her eyes started to widen farther before they switched to an analytical gaze. "Let me guess. . _Seikūken_."

"Hai, that is correct." The man took on an informative pose. "Have you noticed that we have been talking like a couple of old friends."

Kurenai's complexion pulled a Hinata. "WELL, THAT STILL DOESN'T MEAN THAT I TRUST YOU!"

He began laughing again. "Just to let you know, I don't care if you trust me or not so long as you don't tell anyone. I will be making sure that you don't." He took up the informative pose again. "Didn't you say you were going to kill me for groping you earlier."

Before Kurenai could react, the man was gone yet again. "I _hate_ that man. I can hear his laughter in my head." Needless to say, she was seething mad. When she looked up th check the time, Kurenai found that it was almost noon. "That's not good. I _don't_ need to be like Kakashi." **A sneeze could be heard in an adult bookstore.**

A bit later, a winded Kurenai arrived at the hospital where both students were waiting. Hinata went wide eyed at her sensei's out of character entrance. "K-Kurenai-sensei, w-what's wrong?"

"Don't worry Hinata-chan. I was just being held up. I probably will never get a chance to tell her."

Seeing the arrival of his sensei, Shino began walking into the hospital. "Shall we go?"

Both females nodded and spoke simultaneously. "Hai."

**In Kiba's room.**

"HEY EVERYONE! I WAS WONDERING WHEN THE WHOLE GANG WOULD BE HERE!"

Hinata blushed lightly. "Y-you shouldn't b-be yelling in the h-hospital Kiba-kun."

He began rubbing the back of his head. "Gomen Hinata-chan. I am just a little frustrated."

The genjutsu mistress rested her right fist on her pelvis. "Being frustrated in no excuse of a shinobi to lose control of themselves like that."

"Gomen Kurenai-sensei. I will try to not let it happen again."

She nodded. "Good, don't let it happen again."

Shino decided to get to the point. "Kiba-san, the primary purpose behind out current visit was to inform you of Hinata-san's newest jutsu."

When Kiba first became part of the bug user's team, he had trouble understanding Shino when he decided to use more complicated words. Even now, Kiba can only figure out what Aburame's speech when he picks out bits and pieces that he does understand. "You mean I missed the premier of Hinata-chan's jutsu." Shino nodded. Kiba sighed disappointingly. "Can you tell me how it looked and how strong it was?"

Shino being the only one to see it first hand other than Hinata, he went into the description.** Short time skip.**

Kiba hung onto every word before turning to the silent Hyuga who happened to have an increasingly pink face with each compliment from the bug user. "Your jutsu sounds awesome. I can't wait to see it in action."

She blushed even pinker. "H-hai, I can sh-show you when you g-get out, i-if you don't m-mind."

Kiba did a confused head tilt. "_Mind?_" He switched to a toothy grin. "Of course I don't mid. I would love to see your jutsu."

"Arigato Kiba-kun."

A yip could be heard in the room's corner. "Akamaru wants to see it to."

Hinata looked at the pup with fading colors and a sweet smile. "H-hai Akamaru-chan."

Akamaru whined. "Akamaru still doesn't like it when you use the chan honorific."

"Oh, g-gomen Akamaru-ch-kun."

Everyone, except Shino of course, chuckled at Hinata's self correction and Akamaru's pouting. The Hyuga tried to hide her blush. Finished laughing, Kurenai turned to the still laughing Kiba and spoke in a stern voice. "Kiba-san." This caused him to face her. "Do you know when you and Akamaru-san will be released."

"Akamaru is good to go in two days." He sighed. "I am stuck for four days."

"I-it's okay Kiba-kun. Y-you will be up a-and running in n-no time. J-just be patient."

He began smiling broadly. "Arigato Hinata-chan. You always know what to say to comfort others."

Hinata took up her protective posture and looked down to hide her blush. "N-no, I am n-not that special."

Everyone sighed but it didn't show in Shino. Kiba held his fist in front of himself. His words were more forceful than loud. "STOP THAT HINATA-CHAN. IF YOU KEEP CALLING YOURSELF WEAK THEN YOU WILL STAY WEAK. YOU'RE A BAKA FOR LETTING OTHERS DRILL THAT BAKA'S IDEA INTO YOUR HEAD. THINK FOR YOURSELF FOR ONCE HINATA-CHAN."

When Kiba finished his _pep talk_, he looked at Hinata giving him the opposite reaction he was expecting. She stood in the same position as before with the addition of small droplets falling of her chin. Kiba then began to wave his hands defensively. "Gomen Hinata-chan. I-I didn't mean what I said. I am not saying you are weak. I am just saying that you don't have any confidence."

Hinata's tears grew larger informing Kiba of his mistake. "WAIT, that's not what I meant either. It's just that. ." Kiba sighed loudly and let gravity take control of his arms. "If I say anything else I could just make it worse."

All spectators including Akamaru had one collective thought. "Baka."

Kurenai rubbed her temples. "Kiba-san was never very good at improving Hinata's low self-esteem condition." She placed a hand on the distraught Hyuga's shoulder in order to calm her down. Kurenai was only half successful as the girl looked up with puffy eyes and a few tear drops moving down her cheeks.

After a sniffle, Kurenai disregarded all professional boundaries and let her maternal instincts take full control of her body. This caused her to drop down to her knees and pull the girl into a affectionate hug. The rubbing of her back coaxed Hinata to join into the hug, crying on her sensei's shoulder.

After Hinata had enough time to pour out her excess stress, She reluctantly pushed herself away from her current emotional crutch. Shino decided at this time to speak. "We should leave."

Agreeing with the bug user, Kurenai wrapped her arms around Hinata's shoulders and led the girl out of the room, followed by Shino.

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**Feel free to leave any kind of review you want. Check out my profile as well too.**

**Question: how many of you think I could write dubs. _You know_, matching up the lip movements.**

**Next Chapter: Training**


	12. Training: Chapter 12

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Thanks to a misuse of word by the stranger, there was a slight misunderstanding that made Kurenai very mad. She was calmed down a bit only to end up angry yet again from an inappropriate departure. Kurenai returned to her students and broke the genjutsu on them so she could tell them the man's intentions. When they left, she found out that the event was a ruse and didn't happen. Instead, the scenario went as if nothing wrong happened, much to Kurenai's chagrin. After learning the man's skill ratings, she went to the hospital for a planed visit to Kiba. Mid-visit, Kiba stupidly says the wrong things to Hinata causing her to cry. They left soon afterward.)

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**I decided to revoke the plot hole search for this chapter and all future ones. Instead I will be writing one of my other ideas down. This story is still my main project and once a week chapters will be constant most of the time. I _am _in college after all. The title of the other story will be "The Demon's Last Decision" Writing for it will be very slow. **

**PS: Yay, my story is in its first Community. Unfortunately, it is one with hardly anyone looking at it. Still good though. It is not all good news though because I only got two review for the last chapter and it was the most difficult to write. I would have liked some props on what I did.**

**PSS: I am going to make a title change. On the next update, you will see it as "The Most Powerful Duo." I just figured that I should give everyone some fair warning first.**

**"Training: Chapter 12"**

When they got out of the hospital, Shino separated from the other two in order to head towards the Aburame compound.

Kurenai lead Hinata through the village streets towards the Hyuga compound. About half way to the estate, a man with brown hair, chakra colored eyes, an unzipped dark blue wind breaker with a black T underneath, and dark green cargo pants approached them and gave them a two finger salute. "Hey Hinata-chan."

"Who is this man acting so familiar with Hinata-chan. I have never seen him before in my life."

Hinata took up her protective posture when he got close. "Oh, G-good a-afternoon Arashi-san."

He smiled with his eyes closed. "I thought I asked you not to call me san. I am not much for formalities." When his eyes opened, Arashi stared at the puffy eyed girl blankly. "Hinata-chan, why were you crying?"

"Oh, I-i-it was n-nothing."

He looked at the girl incredulously. "Last I checked, people don't cry over nothing. If it was that jumpsuit kid I will make sure that his stay in the hospital becomes an extended one."

Hinata blushed. "I-i-it wasn't h-him."

"Then who."

At this time, the extensively bewildered Kurenai finally spoke. "Ano, how do you know Hinata-chan? You seem to be awfully familiar with her. He even knows about her crush."

He bowed to the genjutsu mistress and took her right hand into his own, causing the other hand to come the her mouth as he maintained eye contact. "To the beautiful young lady's question comes my answer. Merely two days ago, this young lass came to me with a request to sew up a horrendous orange jumpsuit. I of course complied which eventually led to us becoming familiars. I do hope that our relationship reaches the same level. My name is Arashi Ayama." He stood back up to become eye level with the pink faced Kurenai. "_Do_ grace me with your own name."

"I-I-I-I. Stop it. You are starting to sound like Hinata-chan. He is just a regular civilian. M-my name is Kurenai Yuhi."

"Well then Kurenai-chan, it was a pleasure meeting you today." Arashi turned towards Hinata. "The present for your beloved should be ready in five days." He managed to bring both females to a bright blush. "Oh how I love making a woman blush. I must get back to work _so_,. . I will be seeing the both of you later."

Kurenai did not miss the wink he sent to her and blushed even deeper in response. As he left, the pair continued towards the Hyuga compound, their blushes beginning to subside. They eventually arrived at the large doors. Looking down, Kurenai smiled sweetly at Hinata. "Is it okay if I escort you to your room. The last thing Hinata needs right now is to face her father alone."

"H-hai, if you d-don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind." Kurenai led Hinata through the compound much in the same way she has been leading her through the village with her arm around her shoulder. As expected, Hiashi just happened to pass through the same halls they were walking through. In response, Kurenai pushed Hinata behind herself. "Hello Hiashi-sama."

Hiashi took absolutely no notice of Kurenai's motherly actions. "Hello Kurenai-san, Hinata." He faced each as he spoke their names. "I suppose you can inform me of my daughter's progress."

"If you must know, I was very impressed with her today."

"Very well, dismissed."

Now traversing the compound halls, Kurenai released her frustration via holding her trembling fists down at her sides. "Who does that man think he is. You would think that your existence as his daughter means nothing to him by the way he acts. And where does he get the _gall_ to tell _me_that I am dismissed?" Hinata looked down slightly depressed by her sensei's words.

Moments later, both arrived at the door of Hinata's room. Kurenai turned Hinata to face her, both hands on her shoulders, and knelt down to matching eye levels. "Hinata-chan, keep working hard and be careful. I may not be able to warn her completely but I can still tell her to be careful."

Hinata nodded. "Hai." At this time the female pair separated

In her room Hinata sat down at the bed with her arms in part of the protective posture "I should apologize to Kiba-kun. I knew he was trying to comfort me and I just took it the wrong way. He must hate me." Hinata shook her head. "No, I mustn't thing that way. He is my friend and teammate."

"I am glad that I finally have something to contribute to my team. Kurenai-sensei and Shino-kun were both impressed by my jutsu while Kiba-kun and Akamaru-chan were impressed my its description." She blushed. "Maybe I should show it to Naruto-kun. He might be impressed with it. But, what if he thinks I am a show off or hates me for trying to make him look weak." She shook her head again. "Naruto-kun is not like that. _Still_, I don't think I could handle it if he thought that."

Through those musings and many more, enough time passed for it to become dinner. Hinata sighed in preparation for yet another uneventful night in the dining room.

**Naruto's room.**

In room 318, silence is a rarity. "_Man_, I hate hospital food. I wish I had some more of that Ichiraku Ramen from yesterday."

Before the rant could continue, the door opened revealing a familiar golden eyed woman. "You know Naruto, complaining isn't going to get you out of here any sooner."

Naruto looked at the blond woman standing at the door. He then looked away and snorted. "Maybe, but is still makes me feel better."

Tsunade laughed slightly at the Kyūbi Jinchūriki's immaturity. "You do know that as a ninja, you are going to have to grow up eventually."

He tilted his head back in a pout. "Yeah, but I'm not changing too much Obaa-chan."

Tsunade was able to look past the age comment due to the lack of another's presence. "If you want to pass the time, you could try meditation. All you have to do is get in the position, calm yourself down, and center yourself. It might even help control that boundless energy of yours and cool your hot temper."

"COOL MY TEMPER! YOU'RE ONE TO TALK OBAA-CHAN!"

"I rather not prove your point. I will be back to let you out at 22:00 tomorrow."

It took Naruto only a few seconds to think that over. "Wait a second. YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE GOING TO LET ME OUT AT 21:00 TOMORROW!" He was unfortunately a second too late as Tsunade had already left the room. The young blond released a sound that was a cross between a cross between a grunt and a groan then pouted until 21:00, at which time he decided to go to sleep.

**The next morning.**

Once again, a head of inky blue hair raised from the pillow and a pair of milky lavender orbs were smoothly revealed. A soft yawn filled the room melodically. Stretching, Hinata got out the kinks in her body and released a cross between a yawn and a moan. She then slid smoothly out of her bed and switched from her dark lavender night gown to her bulky tan jacket. Fully dressed, Hinata left her room and made her way to the kitchen for another lonely breakfast.

Eating her cinnamon bun peacefully, Hinata was surprised when she heard someone entering the kitchen considering that it was rare for anyone to come in for breakfast before the sun has completely risen. That was the main reason Hinata ate as early as she did. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw that it was her younger sister. "H-hello Hanabi-chan."

She looked up at the speaker with slight surprise. "Onee-chan, are you always here this early?"

"H-hai, well, n-not all the t-time."

"Can I join you?" Hinata nodded. A slightly uncomfortable silence followed as both continued to eat their sweet breakfast. Hanabi decided to break that silence. "Ano, can you show me your new jutsu now?"

"H-hai, I-I showed my team y-yesterday e-except K-Kiba-kun. I-I don't want a-anyone else to see."

Hanabi nodded. "Hai Onee-chan." Both Hyuga siblings left the kitchen in order to find a secluded portion in the Hyuga compound where the could be certain that they would not attract unwanted spectators. This wasn't too difficult considering that it was 5:45 in the morning and most Hyuga were asleep at this time but just to make sure, they went to one of the more secluded training areas.

All of the Hyuga training grounds looked exactly the same. A single plot of flat dirt ground about the size of a small apartment with a single tree in one of the corners.

Hinata made her way to the center as Hanabi watched from the trees trunk. Hinata's head drooped slightly and her right hand formed a seal with the thumb holding down the pinky and ring fingers down as the remaining two were extended just in front of her nose. Her feet were close together with the left behind the right, causing her body to be turned at a slight angle. Her left arm rested against her side with the hand slightly elevated.

After building enough chakra, Hinata began her jutsu. "Protective Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms."

Hanabi was in awe. She has seen her cousin Neji perform the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms before. The eight year old Hyuga could easily tell that Hinata's arms moved just a bit faster than Neji's. With that kind of speed, most shinobi below mid-chunin level would find it impossible to avoid the thin blades of chakra at close range. Hanabi could not even see the blades until she activated her Byakugan. Dodging them at long rand wouldn't be too easy either with the speed in which they fired off. Amidst all of the jutsu's strengths, Hanabi noticed a glaring weakness that few non-Hyuga would have been able to distinguish. "I will have to tell Onee-chan about that."

Hinata was not worried about the chakra usage attracting any unwanted attention. Hyuga's never intrude upon the training of other Hyuga unless they were invited. This was considered rude and in some cases, hazardous. After displaying her jutsu for around thirty seconds, Hinata let herself slow down to a eventual stop.

Seeing that her older sister had finished, Hanabi stood up and walked the the area's center where her sister was standing, panting lightly. She looked up just as she reached the spot in front of Hinata. "That was a very impressive jutsu Onee-chan. Your arms were even faster than Neji-san's, _but_." Hinata winced when Hanabi used that judging tone and calculating gaze that she has come to fear slightly. "There is one severe weakness in you jutsu. Unlike the rotation, that jutsu doesn't cover the you-know-what."

Hinata knew full well what her sister was referring to. The Hyuga, even within clan halls, did not like talking about the Byakugan's blind spot. Everyone in the Hyuga clan liked the idea of being considered the leaf's strongest clan and do not like any weaknesses to be exposed. Hinata nodded. "H-hai, you're r-right Hanabi-chan. I-I forgot about th-that."

Hanabi sighed. "That is not something you should just forget about. Be careful not to reveal the Byakugan's secret because the elders will be very angry with you if you do." During that last sentence, Hanabi began to walk away giving her sister a sidelong glance.

A little shaken, Hinata made her way to the clan's main gate. Lucky for her, Hiashi did not cross her path meaning she was able to leave without interruptions. Free from the stuffy compound, Hinata headed towards her team's meting place. Because of how early she was, Hinata had to wait about a half hour or so before both Shino and Kurenai made an appearance. She bowed to them. "H-hello Shino-kun, Kurenai-sensei."

Shino nodded as Kurenai smiled and waved. When the three congregated, Kurenai went into sensei mode. "Yesterday evening, I bought some training kunai. For this morning's training, Shino and I will throw those kunai at you." Hinata gasped. "You will use your Protective Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four palms and deflect them. We will begin in five minutes."

Those minutes went by slowly for the nervous Hyuga as she positioned herself in the center of the field. When she did, both Kurenai and Shino divided up the kunai between each other and jumped into the forest in separate directions.

Moments later, the barrage began. Two kunai flew towards Hinata, coming for her sides. Reacting quickly, Hinata's arms became blurs. One by one, each kunai was deflected, one by one, they fell to the ground. Gradually, the speed of the kunai increased. Two a second, four a second, six, seven, eight. After under a minute, the barrage stopped with a hundred and thirty kunai deflected. Almost all at once, twenty kunai came flying from the foliage. Without hesitation, Hinata deflected that last wave. A hundred and fifty kunai lay on the grassy ground battered, broken, or bent at odd angles.

Both Kurenai and Shino jumped out of the forest and stood in front of the Hyuga. "Very impressive Hinata-chan. You managed to deflect all of the kunai we threw at you."

Hinata blushed and began twiddling with her fingers. "A-arigato K-Kurenai-sensei."

"Since we still have plenty of time, we are going to work on our speed and agility."

Both Shino and Hinata nodded in acceptance, knowing what that meant. Both students chased their sensei into the trees. Instead of using the normal strait forward methods of tree travel, all of them move very irregularly. They did this because on top of the speed training that they would receive from strait forward tree leaping, they would also receive additional agility training as well. This was needed because as trackers, they would never know when they may need to make a sudden turn.

Shino currently has the most difficulty with the exercise simply because he does not have the same the assets his teammates have. Both Kiba and Hinata were even in agility. Kiba had his All Fours Jutsu that granted him improved traction and wilder movement patterns. Hinata was able to substitute the traction with high chakra control and the wild behavior with graceful flexibility. The only thing that kept Kiba ahead in this exercise was his greater stamina and speed.

Much later, all three were back out of the forest and breathing hard. Kurenai stood strait but Shino and Hinata were hunched over and sweating. Shino because he pushed himself to be as agile as possible. Hinata because of her lesser amounts of stamina.

Kurenai waited until her students caught their breaths. "Alright, that is enough for now. I would like to see both of you back here at 14:00 for some genjutsu training. Go home and clean up. Dismissed."

"Hai." Both teenagers left the area and returned to their respective houses. When she got back to the Hyuga compound, Hinata once again walked through those dreaded halls. To Hinata's relief, her father, who always seems to know how to run into her, only spared her a single glance. Hinata knew that it always happened this way when she came home looking like she went through rigorous training. It still didn't make returning any less unnerving.

Deciding to comply with her sensei's command, Hinata headed strait for her room and private bathroom. During her soak, Hinata had the time to relax and think. "Maybe I should go visit Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun at the hospital. I don't think Kiba-kun wants to see me for a while. I'll just go see Naruto-kun. I need to see him before he leaves." She nodded in determination.

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**Another chapter down. I hope it was a little entertaining. I am sure the next one will have most of you asking questions. I would like them to be put into reviews.**

**I made a mistake on this websight and to anyone who wishes to see a small testimate to that can do so.**

**Next Chapter: Within the Seal**


	13. Within the Seal: Chapter 13

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." After leaving the hospital, Kurenai and Hinata left for the Hyuga compound. On the way, they ran into Arashi, the tailor. After some interaction, he managed to leave both blushing brightly. They ran into Hiashi later, causing Kurenai to go into a rant. Naruto being bored of waiting, complains some more. Tsunade suggests that he meditates. Hinata wakes up early for breakfast and is soon joined by her sister. She then demonstrates her jutsu giving Hanabi a chance to bring up its weaknesses. Hinata then goes to her training ground. She uses her jutsu again to deflect a lot of kunai before they all performed some speed and agility training. Hinata then went home to take a bath, at which time she decided she should see Naruto.")

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**I decided to start putting a bit more effort into my grammar. Don't expect it to be perfect though. Because of my mental difference, (Aspergers) I see the English language differently and therefore have trouble with grammar.**

**"Within the Seal: Chapter 13"**

**Back with the blond baka at 11:00.**

Naruto instantly shoveled down a plate of food. "_Man_, I hate this stuff. Obaa-chan hasn't been in here _all_ day. I just wish there was some way I could pass the time. Heck, I'd even try meditation." Naruto nodded to himself. By 11:30, he was in a meditative state. By noon, he was oblivious to the world around him.

**Hospital entrance.**

After walking through the hospital doors, Hinata once again made her way to room 318. Standing in front of the door, she once again felt nervousness grip her heart. A deep breath calmed those nerves and prepared her to enter the room.

Opening the door, Hinata was greeted with the most surprising thing she has seen in her young life. _The_ Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha's number one hyperactive, unpredictable, knuckle-headed ninja was living up the unpredictable part of his title by disregarding the other two descriptions. He was actually meditating, a calm _and _smart thing to do. Hinata could tell that it was the blonde's first true meditation because he was unable to react to her entrance.

Not wanting to disturb the one she loved, Hinata simply sat down and watched him. Contrary to how she usually saw him, this Naruto was calm, quiet, and serene. "Kawaii!" She giggled and blushed at her thought. Instinctively, she brought her finger up to hide that giggling.

Lost in the calm of the moment, Hinata failed to check on the time until she was almost too late. "Oh no, If I stay here any longer, I am going to be late for my team meeting." Hinata sighed as she knew the peaceful moment was over. On her way out, Hinata took one last look at the blond. "I wonder what he is meditating on."

**Take a guess where.**

Naruto found himself in the dark, dank, and sewer like confines of his mind. He growled in irritation. "What am I doing here again?" As he walked through the dank halls, Naruto found in very easy to navigate using only his instincts. "I guess this _is_ my mind."

The halls eventually opened up to a massive room. The distances between each of the walls were at least one-hundred feet. The ceiling was so high that the light, which seemed to have no source, could not reach it.

Opposite from where Naruto entered was a massive gate comprised of just vertical bars. The bar in the center was shaped more like a two-dimensional square column. Centered perfectly on this central bar was a single rectangular slip of paper with the symbol for 'seal' written on it.

Knowing his destination, the relatively tiny blond cautiously made his way to the prison like section until he covered about nine-tenths the distance. He didn't have to wait long before an enormous set of claws came out from between the bars. Two massive slit eyes with blood red irises became visible along with a large set of sharp teeth underneath them. An orange tinted red aura surrounded every visible and hidden part of the ominous beast. An evil feeling poured out from between the bars, coupled with crippling quantities of killer intent.

Despite being put through a series of events that would have petrified most seasoned shinobi with fear, Naruto did not flinch once. "YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SCARE ME ONCE, BUT DON'T GET YOU HOPES UP FOR A SECOND TIME FURBALL!"

Despite the volume and fierceness of the fox's voice, it did not yell. "How dare _you_, a foolish mortal such as yourself, speak to me with such disrespect? I am the mighty Kyūbi no Yōkō, the supreme power amongst your world. You will address me with the proper respect."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY YOU ARE! THIS IS _MY_ BODY! IF ANYTHING, YOU SHOULD TREAT ME WITH RESPECT! YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN _BE_ HERE!"

The demon laughed ominously. "True, but I am willing to bet that you would have chased after that Sasuke regardless of me being sealed into your pitiful body. If it weren't for my power, your _friend_ would have killed you."

The kitsune grinned as Naruto was at a loss for words, at least for a moment. His expression then became a far more serious one. "Speaking of your power, I noticed that my left arm was going numb. Why?"

The kitsune once again laughed at his vessel. "That is the price you pay for using my power. Did you truly expect that any human could ever hope to use even a fraction of my power without consequences?"

Naruto glared at the kitsune incredulously. "What consequences?"

"My chakra can cause damage to your body if you use it for too long. What I want to know is why you didn't use my power to kill that _Uchiha_. It would have been easy."

Naruto stood on the tips of his toes and took up a 'frustrated position'. "I PROMISED SAKURA-CHAN THAT I WOULD BRING SASUKE BACK! I AM _NOT_ GOING TO BREAK THAT PROMISE!"

The Bijū released another chuckle that filled the area thunderously. "You did not say that you would bring the _Uchiha_ back alive."

"WELL I MEANT ALIVE. SAKURA-CHAN WOULD RATHER SASUKE BE GONE AND ALIVE THAN BACK AND DEAD."

The kitsune saw yet another opportunity to anger his vessel. "Sounds like that the girl cares more for the _Uchiha_ than for you. Why even bother keeping your promise."

Naruto returned to standing normally and giving the Kyūbi a determined glare. "Because, I never back down and I never go back on my word. That is my nindo, my ninja way. _Don't_ forget it."

"Foolish boy, you cannot keep every promise. Sooner or later, you may have to break one.

Naruto returned to his previous frustrated position. "WHAT DOES A DEMON LIKE YOU KNOW ABOUT PROMISES?"

Naruto has seen the Kyūbi no Yōkō angry and yelling but nothing before compared to how enraged the kitsune was now. "INSOLENT MORTAL, WHAT DO _YOU _KNOW OF KITSUNE LAW?"

Naruto went from angry to a bewildered state. "What does kitsune law have to do with promises?"

Before the Kyūbi continued his rant, his attention seemed to shift focus. This caused the demon to laugh. "It looks like our time is up."

The blond became even more confused. "What do you mean by 'our time is up?'"

In response, the massive demon simply roared and released a burst of its demonic chakra that sent Naruto flying back into the now white corridor opening. After passing through the light, Naruto was gone.

A new darker voice with no to little emotion other than calm contempt, spoke from behind the Kyūbi. "What you are doing is very foolish."

The Kyūbi simply laughed sadistically as it turned to face the source of the voice. Separating the two entities was a set of prison bars, similar to the ones now behind the Kyūbi, but with major differences. For one, there were also horizontal bars that formed a tall checker pattern. There was also a horizontal flattened bar to match up with the vertical one. In the dead center where they met was a paper seal. Surrounding this seal were six more that formed a hexagonal pattern that was proportionate to the gate's height and width. Each of these seals was placed where two bars crossed.

Through the openings of all of these bars, the Kyūbi could see a pair of slit dark blue eyes. There wasn't enough light to see anything else. "Regardless of what you think is foolish or not, you have no control or voice in this body. You might as well not be here."

The unbelievably dark voice lost all emotion in its voice. "Hai, I have the close minded state of humans to thank for that. More specifically, the closed mind of the one who applied this seal."

"Well, even though I am trapped in here with you, it still works in my favor. You can't do a thing."

"Regardless, you should not have lied to the boy about using your power. You know as well as I that your power does not have to harm him. It only does that when you fight the boy for control over his body."

The kitsune laughed maniacally. "I don't care as long as I get to perform the kill."

"We both know that fighting the boy for control will cost him his lifespan and in turn, shortening the time we both have to live. The boy must have lost a week because of your stubbornness. Do you truly believe that to be a price worth paying?"

The Kyūbi tilted his head back a bit and smirked. "I already told you that I don't care. Why should I?"

"I have already accepted this, just don't get carried away."

The kitsune laughed simply. "No promises."

He turned his tails towards the other entity. "If something is not done soon, he will kill all three of us."

**The waking world.**

Naruto stared at the blond woman smiling at him with genuine surprise. "Obaa-chan, what are you doing here?"

Tsunade chuckled and smirked. "Meditation is great for passing the time, in case you hadn't noticed. It is _already_ time for me to let you out."

Naruto yelled his appreciation as he jumped up to the woman to hug her around the waist. "ALL RIGHT, YOU'RE THE BEST OBAA-CHAN!" Tsunade was a little taken aback by this action but smiled nether-less. Before the excited Jinchūriki could get to the door, Tsunade had him by the back of his collar. Naruto looked back at the woman while still trying to pull away from her. "_Obaa-chan, _you said I could leave so what gives?"

She closed her eyes, smiled victoriously, and leaned her head back. **Lets change it to haughty pose.** "I am _not _going to let you race through the hospital. You are going to keep yourself under control until you are out of the door and on the streets." She leaned forward to give Naruto a 'shadow stare'. "Understood."

Naruto paled, laughed nervously, and nodded. When the woman let go of him, the obviously tense blond walked away, leaving behind a grinning Tsunade. Naruto managed to walk to the hospital lobby without incident. Anticipation built up with each step he took as he knew exactly what he planned to do once he got out the door. First came his left foot and then his right. As soon as that foot hit the ground, he became a blue, orange, and yellow blur. "NARUTO UZUMAKI IS BACK!" Moments later, he reached his destination.

Naruto opened the simple blue door of his apartment. It was very simple. A window with a bed underneath, a kitchen area with all necessary devices, and a pair of doors on the left leading to the bedroom and bathroom. Before the room's inhabitant took four steps, a loud, low rumbling filled the area. He rubbed his stomach. "I should have gone to Ichiraku Ramen first." Shrugging it off, Naruto went to his cupboards and pulled out one of the many instant ramen cups. After those three agonizing minutes, Naruto ate. When he finished, the blond performed his nightly routine and went to sleep.

**Day three out of seven.**

It was peaceful. Only the sound of the morning birds and insects could be heard. The air was crisp and clean; the most relaxing environment for one to sleep in. '_RING!_' A metallic crashing sound followed. After that was a loud groan. "I _hate _that alarm clock. Every time it goes off, I need a new one. I wish I could just wake up without it."

Naruto got up and prepared himself for another three minutes of agonizing waiting. When it was up, he dug into his ramen with gusto. Finished with his unorthodox breakfast, Naruto got dressed and left his apartment in order to burn off his excess energy doing some real training.

One the streets, the smiling and excited blond raced through the village blissfully unaware of anyone and everyone he passed. By the single glimpse Naruto got from his alarm clock before its untimely demise, He guessed it was around 8:00. "Training then ICHIRAKU!"

A fair distance away from the blond was the quiet Hinata Hyuga about to turn a corner that her hyperactive beloved was bound to pass. Just as she was about to turn the corner, Hinata heard a familiar voice in the form of a yell. "TRAINING, HERE I COME!"

She didn't even have time to think. Hinata pushed off with her left foot and pivoted around the orange bulldozer, dodging him by less than an inch. Hinata then assumed her 'protective posture'. "N-N-Naruto-kun." The shock of seeing the same old Naruto once in a long time fresh in her mind, the cream lavender eyed girl made her way to her own training session.

When Hinata arrived at her team's training field, she could see both her sensei and teammate. She felt disappointed at making her team wait by sleeping in, even if it was just an hour. Though the knowledge that doing so allowed her to see Naruto, if only for an instant, comforted her. Before she could do anything, the Hyuga was interrupted. "Hinata-chan, where were you? You are unusually late."

Hinata bowed. "G-gomen Kurenai-sensei. I-I overslept."

Kurenai blinked when she noticed a slight happiness in her tone but accepted the excuse as the truth. "Hai, but don't make it a habit.

"H-hai." Shortly thereafter, the group performed the same speed and agility training as the day before and was then dismissed.

**In training field seven.**

After a few hours of uncoordinated training due to the lack of a sensei, a growl emanated from the tired boys stomach and somehow restored his energy. "ICHIRAKU RAMEN, HERE I COME!" With all that new energy, Naruto walked back to Ichiraku with a spring in his step.

Past the flaps, the blond took his seat on one of the many stools. Since he wanted to surprise the ramen stand's proprietors, Naruto remained uncharacteristically silent. While working on organizing his stock, Teuchi turned around to wind up facing the beaming expression of his favorite customer. "Hey Naruto-kun, we haven't seen you for a while."

Responding to the familiar name, Ayame peeked out from the back room. "Naruto-kun, it's good to see you again."

Teuchi gave Naruto his own old man smile. "Well, now that you're here, what do you want to eat Naruto-kun?"

"One shrimp, two miso, two pork, and three beef."

Teuchi laughed at the order that would be called unusually large by normal standards. "So it's the usual huh?" He then began cooking. He later gave the ramen glutton his first portion. "So Naruto-kun, has anything new happened while you were in the hospital."

After slurping up the last noodle in the first bowl, Naruto recited his news with a somber expression. "Yeah, about that, Obaa-chan says that I have to go on a training trip with Ero-sennin."

Teuchi now looked confused. "Training trip, how long will you be gone."

"Three years."

Both Ayame and Teuchi were surprised. The eldest was first to speak up. "_Three years,_ how am I going to be able to stay in business without my best customer?"

Ayame hit him on the back of his head. "What my father means is that we will miss you Naruto-kun."

Naruto began rubbing the back of his head. "Arigato Ayame-chan." At this moment, Naruto heard a soft squeak sound. Looking back to check the sound out, Naruto saw nothing.

In the ally between the stand and a neighboring building, stood the very shy and nervous Hinata Hyuga, who was once again listening in on one of the conversations Naruto has with Teuchi and Ayame. She knew that her actions could be called stalking, but she was still interested in her beloved's life. This made her feel more like a stalker.

Playing off the sound Naruto asked a question that has been bugging him. "I got some of your ramen yesterday. Did you, I don't know, add any new ingredients to it?"

Hinata became surprised at Naruto's choice of subject. "Oh no, he thinks that something was wrong with the ramen I delivered to him. What if he thinks I added something to it? No doubt he will hate me."

Teuchi gave Naruto an incredulous stare. "Are you sure you didn't imagine it. The ramen should have tasted the same as usual."

"No, I am not making this up, but it didn't really taste different. It just had a different feeling to it."

Ayame gawked at the scene unnoticed as Teuchi tapped his chin and leaned his head back. "I am not sure. I didn't add anything. Ayame-chan, do you know anything."

She shook her head to snap herself out of it, then leaned towards Naruto. "That depends Naruto-kun, did you like it?"

He nodded. "Hai, I did. It sort of made me feel happy." Hinata felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Ayame took up the 'haughty pose'. "I _did _do something to the ramen but I am not telling you what." Naruto started to pout earning a giggle from Ayame. After two seconds of pouting, his proceeded to finish his ramen, paid for his meal, and left the establishment.

With her beloved gone, Hinata proceeded to leave, before she heard the other two conversing that is. "Ayame-chan, what _did_ you do to Naruto-kun's ramen?"

The teenager smiled wider and giggled girlishly. "You remember that Hinata-chan ate here before we had her deliver that ramen to Naruto-kun."

Teuchi nodded. "Hai, I remember. What does that have to do with it?"

"_Well_, instead of giving Naruto-kun a new set of chopsticks, I gave him the ones that Hinata-chan used."

In one second, Hinata's face went from porcelain white to tomato red. Teuchi burst into a fit of joyous laughter which caused Hinata to go an even darker shade. Being the happy elderly man he was, the ramen cook decided upon a joke. "Maybe we should save up the chopsticks she uses the next time around."

Because she decided to leave before the conversation could go down a path that would send her to dreamland, Hinata did not hear Ayame whispering words that would have done just that. "Maybe we should save up and wrap together the chopsticks Naruto-kun used and give them to Hinata-chan."

Hinata was severely embarrassed, but she also felt a sliver of hope in her heart. "Naruto-kun used the same chopsticks I used and liked it. He actually liked it." A part of her mind tried to say that he had no idea but that part was for once silent, allowing the to girl to smile softly.

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**Another chapter is down. I hope this own has managed to create a sense of mystery although it shouldn't be very hard to figure out what that other entity is and the point of its gate having seven paper seals. I really would like some reviews. I derive entertainment from them. How long must you force me into my pit of boredom. (I accept all forms of reviews.)**

**Check out my profile. It is always changing. I just got a forum.**

**The next chapter will show the first signs of Naruto becoming stronger in my story than in canon.**

**Next chapter: Day of Play**


	14. Day of Play: Chapter 14

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Most Powerful Duo." After eating lunch, Naruto decides to do some meditation as Tsunade suggested. Hinata enters the room during this period and finds the scene cute. Time flies by until it reaches a time where she could be late for a planned training session. She leaves. In Naruto's mindscape, he heads off to talk to the fox. Very little information is gained from the demon for Naruto. With Naruto gone, Kyūbi turns around to speak with the entity sealed along with him to receive some ineffective scolding. When Naruto awoke, he found Tsunade in his room telling him it is time to leave, which he reluctantly does slowly. He runs back home to sleep. Next morning, he runs off to train, passing Hinata along the way. He trains then goes to Ichiraku, where he inquires to the difference in the ramen he received the day before. Unknown to him, Hinata was nearby and listening. Only she finds out what was done because she stuck around longer. She leaves just in time not to hear the final part of the Ichiraku pair's plan.)

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"**Day of Play"**

Walking through the streets, Naruto heard the sound of a cardboard box coming from behind him. He then turned around abruptly. "I know you're there Konohamaru."

Laying there was a box with rock shapes painted on it and two large eye holes in the front. A childish voice came from inside the box. "You're just as good as ever Naruto-nii-san." That is why you are my rival."

A second later, three different colored puffs of smoke came from the length of the box. Out of the smoke came three children no older than nine. The one in the back wore round glasses and a blue jacket similar to an Aburame's, minus the high collar. His hair was brown and laid flat against his head. The one in the middle was a girl with blush dots on her cheeks and orange hair tied into two thick ponytails that were slanted upwards. She wore a light red undershirt with a thin, dark red vest. The one in the front was a boy wearing a hard hat with spiky brown hair sticking out the back. He also wore a long blue scarf and a yellow shirt. All three wore a pair of dark green goggles on their heads.

Naruto looked at the three with annoyance. "Hello Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon."

All three stood strait and saluted. "Hey Naruto-nii-san."

The blond now wore and expression that was a mix of annoyance and boredom. "What do you three want this time?"

All of the children went through a series of poses that were without a doubt well rehearsed while speaking in unison. "We … of the Konohamaru corps … would like to ask our boss … to play ninja tag with us."

Naruto was about to say no before his thoughts interrupted. "I _am_ going on a three year training trip." He puffed his chest out and poked it with his thumb. "Hai, I will play with you guys, and not only that, but I will play with you as long as you want."

All three stood on their toes and took up an 'excited pose'. "As long as we want, you're the best Naruto-nii-san."

Naruto sweat-dropped. "They really got that unison thing down."

Konohamaru pumped his fist into the air. "ALL RIGHT, LET'S GET OT OF THE VILLAGE AND INTO THE FOREST!" The other three followed as Konohamaru led the way at a civilian's pace. They soon arrived. "Okay, it is us verses the boss. We go first with 10 seconds head start. When you catch us, it is your turn." At those words, the three nine-year-olds jumped into the forest.

Naruto calmly sat down with his legs crossed and counted to ten. On the cue, he jumped up and moved through the trees as his training taught him. Using his higher speed and agility due to his greater age and experience, Naruto was able to catch up to his idolizers.

Moegi was first on his catch list. She was moving slower than her teammates and therefore was the closest. It really didn't take Naruto long to catch up to her and tag her. When Naruto caught up to the other's, he saw them running side-by-side. "GOTCHA!" He was but an instant from tagging both.

Hearing the loudmouth, both boys split up allowing them to avoid being tagged. Konohamaru ran to the left at a much faster pace but still in a strait line. Udon was covering distance at a slower speed but was dropping and raising his elevation randomly.

Although a smarter shinobi would have went for the faster target so that he wouldn't have as much time to cover distance, Naruto went for the closer one. He quickly found that Udon was a greater challenge than Moegi was. Every time Naruto thought he had the kid, Udon either pushes himself down using an overhead branch, which Naruto meets face first, or he held onto a branch to swing himself up. Thanks to Udon's evasiveness, it took Naruto five minutes to catch him.

Successful in his task, Naruto performed a 180 and began his search for the trio's leader. After covering some serious distance, Naruto realized that this has become more like a game of hide and seek. He then began using his minimum tracking skills to begin searching for the boy. Lucky for Naruto, that was all the tracking skills he needed against him. The blond was now staring at a square section of a tree with no bark. "You are going to have to do better than that Konohamaru."

The bark-less patch dropped down, revealing that very nine-year-old. "You're as good as ever Nii-san. That is why we are rivals." Konohamaru grinned widely at his 'rival' and took off.

Naruto quickly started chasing after him. The only difference between chasing Konohamaru and Moegi was that he was running faster. It took Naruto only two minutes to catch him. The kid grumbled about being caught as he and Naruto walked back to the starting point, where Moegi and Udon were waiting patiently. Konohamaru joined his young friends while Naruto stood in front of them. The girl looked at Naruto with a curious face. "How did we do Naruto-nii-san?"

Naruto began tapping his chin in a 'thoughtful pose.' "Moegi really needs to work on her speed. Konohamaru is doing better at hiding but you are still pathetic. Even though I caught him second, Udon was the hardest to catch."

Udon's eyes almost grew as big as his glasses at the compliment, while the other two looked at him with surprise and slight envy. He pointed at his own dumfounded expression as he spoke. "I was really the hardest to catch."

"Hai, you were. A few of the times I thought I had you, you slipped out of my grasp." Naruto absentmindedly rubbed his forehead, remembering how many branches he broke with it. "Can you guys tell me what you were thinking when you left Moegi behind?"

Konohamaru gave the answer. "We thought that if we left Moegi behind, she would slow you down enough for the rest of us to get away."

All three of the nine-year-olds flinched when Naruto gave them a death glare. "And what would have happened to her if I was an enemy trying to kill you." The trio looked down sadly in response. "Remember this you three. Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash." Naruto laughed internally. "I sound like Kakashi-sensei."

Moegi, Udon, and Konohamaru all stared at the orange and blue clad shinobi with eyes of admiration. They then stood up strait and saluted him. "Hai Naruto-nii-san, we won't forget."

Naruto nodded in acceptance then fox smiled. "I think it's time to get this game going again." Before the children could react, Naruto jumped back into the forest so he could begin his turn. The blond was certain that he could keep his turn going forever simply because he can outrun them easily, but that wouldn't be any fun for either side. It took him only five seconds to find a way to make the game more interesting. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." An exact copy of Naruto faded into existence as the original continued running to a slightly distant location.

The clone remained standing on one branch for ten seconds, which was enough time for the Konohamaru corps to come into view. When they saw Naruto's clone, Konohamaru spoke. "There he is. Let's get him." The trio split up in an effort to surround _Naruto_ and catch him. Their leader was in front, Moegi to his left, and Udon to his right.

Udon made the first move by diving for _Naruto's_ legs. He jumped up to avoid being caught. Konohamaru made the next move by going for _Naruto's_ head. The blond leaned back, allowing Konohamaru to pass harmlessly over him. Seeing that her quarry was unable to move anymore, Moegi jumped up for the final attack.

Because he was unable to dodge her, the clone had to deal with being caught. Konohamaru was jumping up and down due to being able to _'catch' Naruto_. When he stopped, Konohamaru turned to face the clone. "We caught you Nii-san. Now it is our turn again, right."

The clone just smiled at them. "No, it's still my turn."

They once again spoke in unison. "NANI, WE CAUGHT YOU. HOW IS IT YOUR TURN?" In response, the clone simply disappeared in a puff of smoke.

**With the _real_ Naruto.**

"Those three have very good teamwork." Blue eyes widened in shock. "How … How do I know that?" In the mood for an experiment, Naruto created a Shadow Clone that jumped off as soon as it faded into existence.

Before the clone could say anything, Konohamaru pointed an accusing finger at it. "YOU DIDN'T SAY YOU WERE GOING TO USE CLONES NII-SAN! THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

The clone got irritated, but remembered his original objective before saying anything. "Hey Konohamaru, can I ask you something?"

He was confused by the sudden change in subject but went along with it. "Hai, what is it nii-san?"

"What did you eat for breakfast?"

All three face-faulted. After they stood back up, Konohamaru took up a 'frustrated position' with only one fist out. "WHY DO YOU WANT TO KNOW _THAT_, AND WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU?"

The clone sighed while utilizing his quick thinking. "Because, I will take you three out for ramen if you do."

Hearing this, Konohamaru instantly knew that there was a lot more to it than _Naruto _was letting on, but the idea of getting free ramen from Naruto was far too appealing for him to pass up. "I had two eggs and some ham this morning." Nodding, the clone disappeared just like that previous one, leaving behind a very irritated Konohamaru.

**Back with the original.**

His expression went from passive, to intrigued, and finally sour. "Baka clone, Konohamaru is not going to let that go just because it was a clone that said it."

Moments later, the Konohamaru corps showed up. Their leader stopped and pointed an accusing finger at the blond. "DON'T THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE A CLONE SAID IT, THAT YOU CAN GET OUT OF BUYING US RAMEN! REMEMBER, YOU DON'T GO BACK ON YOUR WORD!"

Naruto planed on confirming what Konohamaru's breakfast was in person, but that was more than enough. "I can remember what my clones do."

"YOU ALSO DIDN'T SAY THAT YOU WERE GOING TO USE CLONES! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Thanks to the time he had, Naruto was able to think of a calm response. "I didn't say that I wouldn't, but if you think it is so unfair, I won't use them anymore, okay." He flashed that foxy grin. "Now let's get back to playing.

"Hai." They flanked Naruto the same way that they did the clone from before.

Recognizing the formation, Naruto jumped to the side to avoid Udon, instead of falling into the trap. This time, Moegi made the second move by doing the same thing as Udon. Knowing that Konohamaru was covering the high ground, Naruto used his right leg to do a summersault back, and avoid all three. "If it wasn't for my clone's memories, my turn wouldn't have lasted long."

A few more jumps helped increase the distance between him and the trio. Once the nine-year-olds got their bearings, the chase began. Naruto just ran away from his pursuers at what he considered to be a slow speed. Every time one of them tried to make a dive for him, Naruto jumped to the side or up. This continued for half and hour, at which time, Naruto hit his head on a branch during one of his upward jumps. Being the closest, Udon made the tag.

All three stared at Naruto with narrow, suspecting eyes. It was the leader who voiced their question. "Is that you Nii-san, or are you just another clone.

Naruto felt insulted at this insinuation. "Hey, I said that I wouldn't use clones anymore so I won't."

Konohamaru hopped around while pumping his fist. "YATTA, now it's your turn to try and tag us again. It won't be as easy this time Nii-san."

Naruto took up the 'haughty pose'. "Hai, it will be easier."

"We'll see about that Naruto-nii-san."

They once again made their way back to the starting position. Like before, the trio jumped into the forest, and Naruto waited ten seconds before going after them. Unlike last time, all three were running together. "HERE I COME!" After a few seconds, the boys sped ahead, leaving Moegi behind. Naruto grumbled at their apparent lack of teamwork. Just as he was about to tag her, she ducked down. Faster than he could react, a branch swung forward and struck him in the face. Naruto of course began rubbing the reddened area. "I am really getting sick of all these tree branches hitting me."

Pointing at his idol, Konohamaru laughed loudly at his predicament. Naruto attempted to take advantage of the incapacitated nine-year-old, only to be interrupted by a wooden shuriken, courtesy of Udon.

The game continued with both factions switching control every now and then. At the end of the game, the sun was close to the horizon as the four occupied the clearing. The Konohamaru corps was spread eagle on the ground, panting heavily. Standing near them was Naruto, sweating and panting slightly. "You three should have known that you couldn't outlast me."

"You still have to take us for ramen Nii-san."

"I was hoping that he would forget about that."

After a few minutes of resting, the four made their way back to the residential areas. On the way, Konohamaru decided to ask a question that has been bothering him for a while. "Naruto-nii-san, why did you have that clone ask me what I had for breakfast."

All three of them focused on Naruto as he took on his own thoughtful pose. "Well, I am not really sure about how or why it happens, but when one of my clones disappears, the memories of everything they see, hear, or do, are transferred to me.

Moegi was first to speak. "That's amazing nii-san."

Udon spoke next. "It's useful too."

Konohamaru got in an 'excited position'. "Of course it's useful. Just think about what you can do with it. You can have your clones read or do something that you don't want to, while you do something else elsewhere. You can actually be in two places at once."

Naruto clapped his fist into his hand. "You're right Konohamaru. I could really use it so I can have more time training." Just as Naruto finished his sentence, they arrived at Ichiraku Ramen. Each took a seat and ordered their meals.

The dinner was unusually quiet and uneventful, if you don't count how quickly Naruto ate his ramen. Konohamaru was the first to change this. "Nii-san, why did you say that you would play with us for as long as we wanted?"

Naruto began sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. You see, I agreed to play with you for that long because I won't be seeing you three for a long time."

They spoke in a unified response. "Nani, what do you mean a long time?"

"Well in about um, four more days, I am going on a three year training trip with Jiraiya slash Ero-sennin. That way I won't have to explain who Ero-sennin is."

Konohamaru got into the thoughtful pose he copied from his idol. "Jiraiya, why does that name ring a bell?" His narrow eyes widened in shack. "JIRAIYA, THE SAME JIRAIYA OF THE SANNIN TRAINED BY MY OJII-SAN? YOU ARE GOING TO TRAIN WITH HIM FOR THREE YEARS?

"I don't know why everyone is making a big deal out of this.

"Maybe because his is the strongest shinobi Konoha has."

"Hump, he _may_ be the strongest, but he is still a pervert."

"You shouldn't call Jiraiya-sama that."

"Jiraiya-_sama_, he's just a big pervert to me."

"TAKE THAT BACK ABOUT MY OJII-SAN'S STUDENT!"

NO, he's a pervert so I am going to call him a pervert."

The argument continued down that path until Teuchi loudly cleared his throat, catching their attention. "Who is paying?" Before Naruto could even react, Udon, Moegi, and Konohamaru were long gone; leaving Naruto to pay for the meal as he said he would. As Naruto reached for his _gama-chan_, Ayame put up the bowls and stashed his chopsticks.

His food paid for, Naruto left the ramen stand. "What am I going to do now? I could either go do some training, or I could go home." He clapped his fist into the other hand. "Training it is."

Naruto latter arrived at training field seven. Like most training fields, it was surrounded by forest. The central clearing had a single tree and three training logs. There was also a river. Despite these, the most important feature of the field was the monolith that served as a memorial to the Konoha shinobi that lost their lives in battle, protecting their home.

Naruto could remember the test he and his team received here, but that was in the past now. Now, Naruto had to train so he can be strong enough to bring Sasuke back. "I won't fail."

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**I hope most of you understand where this story is going. The next chapter will have a fair amount of action. I think it is pretty good. Don't be shy with those reviews. I don't really care what is in it. I accept anonymous reviews as well; which I won't ever delete. What I am trying to say is that I will take everything in stride instead of freaking out. Ja ne.**

**Next Chapter: One Hundred.**


	15. One Hundred: Chapter 15

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Shortly after leaving the ramen stand, Naruto ran into the Konohamaru corps. They started up a game of tag, during which, Naruto found out that he gets the memories of his clones. After the game, Naruto has to take the three out for ramen. They talk about the transfer of memories and the three-year-training trip; which starts up an argument. This is interrupted by Naruto having to pay for the meal. Ayame _puts up the dishes_, as Naruto heads for his team's training field to begin his training.)

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**AMR: You are my first anonymous reviewer. You are right with what you said. I am intentionaly keeping them apart. The real romance won't be coming for a long time.**

"**One Hundred"**

Naruto has been performing some light training. He tried fighting against his clones, but that didn't go too well.

**Flashback.**

"Shadow Clone Jutsu." About twenty clones popped into the area. The original started attacking his clones. Only a few seconds later, he noticed that his clones were attacking other clones amongst the confusion. "I guess I should wait until I figure out a way to make them attack only me."

**Flashback End.**

The blond smiled as an idea to do that just popped into his head. His hands came up to the back of his head and removed his headband. After placing it gently on the ground, he formed his favorite hand-seal. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu." The one hundred clones surrounded Naruto; who was bending down to pick up his headband. He started to put it on, stopping when it came time to tighten it.

**I suggest that you read through this section slowly or you will miss something.**

As soon as the headband was tugged tight, three clones came at him in a triangle formation. He jumped forward to hit one then jumped back so the other two would crash into each other. Before he could be swarmed by the others, Naruto roughly used six of the clone's heads as stepping stones towards the forest. **91.**

Seeing their target disappear into the forest, the clones followed and fanned out. One of those clones happened upon Naruto, only to be dispatched by a fist to face. The original was about to go in search of more clones, only to find himself surrounded by an increasing number of them. Confused about how so many of his clones could find him so fast, Naruto ran, taking out two clones and getting their memories. "Wow, not only do I get my clones' memories, but so do any other clones I have out." His face became a large fox grin. "It is official, Shadow Clones are awesome." **88.**

As he ran, Naruto knew that he had all of his clones were on his tail. Not being one who likes running away from a battle for long, Naruto performed a 180 and increased his altitude. An instant later, he dropped down and round-housed four of the clones, alerting the others to his presence. They charged him in an effort to land some hits. **84.**

Using a tree behind him, Naruto sprung up and punched one clone and sending it into another. After landing on a large branch, he noticed four clones coming at him in a familiar formation. "Na . ru . to." A series of four kicks sent a dazed Naruto into the air. A fifth clone came in doing rapid frontal summersaults. He extended his leg, hitting Naruto with the heel of his foot. "Uzumaki Barrage." **82.**

Surveying the damage, the clones were surprised to find a log instead of their creator. A headband wearing Naruto jumped out of the foliage and lunched eight shuriken that took out one clone each. He cut through the army, punching five and rebounding off of seven. In response, the clones unleashed a wave of their own shuriken. Rebounding off of a branch, Naruto dropped down to the ground in an effort to hide. "HE'S BELOW US!" **62.**

His cover blown, Naruto was only able to take out two clones without getting hit. He was able to get back into hiding without being seen. In the relative safety, he began to observe the clones. With the way they were surveying the area, it would be impossible for him to attack without first being spotted. After hearing a small rustling of leaves coming from behind, Naruto spun around and ducked, narrowly avoiding one of his clones' punches. Using that position, Naruto quickly stood up to full height, head-butting it on the chin. He instantly found himself surrounded by the rest from all directions. This formed a sphere shape. **59.**

All the clones moved in carefully, as to keep the sphere formed and to shrink to amount of gaps. The original figured that the clones came up with this by themselves. All of the clones reached into their weapon holders and pulled out one kunai each. Naruto panicked at the sight of the impending volley. I idea popped into his head as he looked at all of the clones. All of the kunai were thrown, leaving no room for escape. As they expected, there was a puff of smoke at the time of impact. The rush of memories told them that is wasn't a log Naruto replaced himself with. All eyes turned towards the steadily shrinking Naruto. **58.**

Bored of guerilla warfare, Naruto turned around and charged right into the thick of it. He punched the very first clone he saw. Knowing that he was open, he jumped up to avoid five more clones, all of which crashed into each other. On his way up, Naruto kneed another on the chin and rotated so he could hit one more with his elbow. Two more dived at Naruto's feet, only to crash headfirst. Just then, another clone came in from above and landed a roundhouse kick. **48.**

Using his newfound momentum, Naruto forcefully jumped off of one clone and kicked two more. Grabbing a shuriken from his pouch, he took out the clone that kicked him. He then took out one of his kunai and charged a group of clones. Using a wide swing, he cut a clone to his right and back-fisted another with his left hand. Using the momentum, he brought up his left foot to slam his heel into another clone. **41.**

With both feet on the branch, Naruto blocked a kunai strike with his own kunai and kneed the offending clone. Using his free leg, Naruto jumped back to increase the distance. This lasted only a moment as he jumped forward to slice another clone. Three clones attacked him only to be stopped by Naruto performing a controlled spin with his kunai extended at elbow length. **36.**

Twenty of the clones threw a shuriken, only to have Naruto use a nearby clone as a shield. One stray shuriken hit another clone. Knowing that ranged attacks would end in failure, the clones charged forward with their fists drawn back. Seeing the attack, Naruto hopped back just enough to make him fall of the branch he was standing on. Using his chakra, he grabbed the branch and swung himself up through the clones. Using a few spins, Naruto punched or kicked six clones. One of the surviving clones gently used another as a stepping stone to successfully punch Naruto in the stomach. He was stabbed by the kunai for his efforts. The original threw the kunai forward, hitting another clone. **26.**

When Naruto landed on a rather large branch, he was closely surrounded by ten of his remaining clones. This resulted in an all out brawl where Naruto had to punch and head-but his way through the mob. When the smoke cleared, it revealed a panting a bruised Naruto. **16.**

The remaining clones grouped together in a last stand. Naruto charged the group and punched the closest one, sending the back of its head into another's face. Two more tried to punch the original in the face, only for him the cross his arms for a block. He grabbed their fist and pulled them into each other. **12.**

Naruto bent down before jumping back as far as he could with one jump. All of the clones chased after him. Naruto chuckled to himself. "Boom." A loud bang could be heard. Only two of the clones were far enough away from the explosion to avoid destruction. They now stared down their target, formulating a way to get in one final hit. They charged, one aiming high, the other low. The one attacking high was easily blocked, but that left an opening. Using his left, the other clone launched a wide swing that bypassed his ally and hit the original's solar plexus. On his way back, Naruto managed to kick the clone he blocked. He then flipped backwards and tossed a shuriken once he became right-side-up. Once he landed on his feet, the memories confirmed that he was finally alone. Fairly satisfied with the training, Naruto went home for some well deserved sleep.

**Day four out of seven.**

Sunlight filtered through the window for a few seconds before being hidden behind a cloud. It still was enough to wake the sleeping blond. Naruto shut his eyes tight and tossed and turned in a futile attempt to gain more sleep. When he finally gave up on that notion, he swung his legs off of the bed and rubbed his eyes in an effort to wake himself further. "Man, what time is it?" He opened his eyes half way and looked at his night stand. "Oh right, I destroyed my clock again."

The blond pushed himself off of the bad and began his morning routine of going to the bathroom, getting dressed, preparing his ramen breakfast, and eating it. Smiling happily, he left his apartment and made his way down to the streets.

Wondering aimlessly, Naruto pondered what he would do for the day. "Maybe I should find Sakura-chan." He wore his fox grin. "Maybe she will let me take her out on a date since I am leaving." His expression became serious with a twinge of anger. "I should also find Kakashi-sensei. I need to ask him why he never told me about that I get my clones' memories when they disappear. He _can_ use the Shadow Clones Jutsu too, so he should know about it." His expression switched to one of happiness. "But first I will train." When he arrived at the training field, he looked up to see the sun near the highest point in the sky. "One and a half hours of training then Ichiraku."

**An hour later in training field number eight.**

Kurenai looked at her exhausted students, a light sheen of sweat visible on her brow. Both Shino and Hinata were doubled over, panting, and still wearing their jackets. "All right, that's enough training for today. Get something to eat and rest up."

Both stood up strait and waited to catch their breaths. "Hai." They each went on their respective paths.

Hinata Hyuga walked fairly slowly as she contemplated what she would do. "I should go and get something to eat like Kurenai-sensei said." She decided upon Ichiraku Ramen. As of recently, she has taken a liking towards the ramen served there. The simple and calming atmosphere didn't hurt either. There was also the fact that it was Naruto favorite place to eat. As she walked the streets, she took in all of the sights and sounds of the village, the vendors, the shoppers, and the pedestrians. This coupled with the scent of damp air created a blend of energetic and calming.

The Hyuga eventually reached the humble ramen stand. She was a little nervous because she knew that Naruto was out; meaning that he was either training or eating ramen. She would have normally avoided eating at the stand, but her heart yearned to speak to her love interest about the three year training trip he is supposedly going to be leaving for. It would destroy her inside if she never got a chance to bid him farewell.

Alas, the stand was empty aside form the ones that ran it, meaning that Naruto was certainly training. When Hinata looked at Teuchi and Ayame, she could not help but see a mischievous glint in the smiles they sent her. Ayame was first to speak to her. "Hello Hinata-chan, what would you like to have to eat."

"S-some miso ramen pl-please."

Teuchi turned his head back so he could see Hinata. "Coming right up Hinata-chan." A few moments later, a steaming bowl of ramen was placed before her pale lavender eyes. She could not help but feel a bit dejected at not being able to speak to Naruto. She picked up her chopsticks, which seemed to be a little darker at the tips than the rest. Hinata dismissed this and broke the utensils apart.

"Itadakimasu." She captured a few noodles between the tools. She lifted them up and took her first bite. The Hyuga immediately felt her spirits left. A feel good feeling poured all over her insides, calming her turbulent mind and making her feel more comfortable. A small smile visibly graced her lips.

This of course did not go unnoticed by Ayame, who giggled girlishly. "It is official; Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan have to get together. It is just meant to be."

Ayame was still giggling when Hinata finished her noodles. A slightly embarrassed Hinata looked up when she noticed this. "Ano, d-do I have s-something on my face?"

Ayame began waving her hand dismissively. "_No, No_, nothing like that." She brought her hand to her mouth to stifle her giggling. "It is just that those are the same chopsticks Naruto-kun used last night."

Hinata's eyes widened in shock, her face turned red, the mind went blank, and she fell over in a dead faint; all in record time. "Now look what you've done Ayame-chan. Someone collapsed in front of my stand can't be good for business."

"Gomen Otou-san; I didn't expect her to faint."

"Watch for customers Ayame-chan, I am going to bring her to the back so we can avoid unwanted attention." Doing as he said, Teuchi picked the comatose Hinata up. He then took her to the back room and laid her against one of the walls where she would be out of sight. Teuchi released an exasperated sigh, but perked up when he heard a familiar voice coming from the front of his stand.

"Hey Ayame-chan, where is Jii-san?"

Before she could say anything, the ramen cook walked out from the back room sporting a knowing grin. "Hey Naruto-kun, I hope you are hungry."

"You know it Jii-san." At the end of his sentence, he noticed something in the corner of his field of vision. "Someone didn't finish drinking their ramen juice. Why would anyone do that? That is a bit of a waste."

Both Ayame and Teuchi looked at each other with very mischievous grins as they each thought the same exact thing. "No way are we passing this up."

Ayame turned towards Naruto acting as if what she was to say was very unimportant. "You can have it if you want. The person left and won't be coming back to finish the rest."

Naruto smiled broadly. "Great, it should be able to hold me off until you finish my order. I will have the usual by the way." Naruto grabbed the bowl by its sides and lifted it up to his lips. He decided to first taste the broth so he would know what flavor it was. The second that first sip touched his tongue, he felt that same uplifting feeling he got from the ramen he received a few days ago in the hospital. Wanting to prolong it, he slowly drank the fluid.

Both Ayame and Teuchi stared at the sight before them in complete disbelief. They would have never thought it possible if it weren't for the fact that it was happening right in front of them. The blond gently set the now empty bowl down. "That was great Jii-san. Keep making your ramen like that, and it will be harder to leave on that training trip."

Ayame giggled internally, but managed to put up a confused, questioning expression on the outside. "We didn't do anything different to it. It was just normal miso."

Naruto wore a sour expression until a steaming bowl was placed in front of him. He smiled as he used a new set of chopsticks to take a bite out of the ramen. He looked a little disappointed but continued eating a normal pace, for him at least. In the course of just a few minutes, Naruto finished his ramen, paid for his meal, and left.

When Naruto was out of sight, Teuchi sighed loudly. "Tell me why we haven't told him about Hinata-chan again."

Ayame took up an 'informative/know-it-all pose.' "Because Otou-san, a girl's first love is something really special; she should tell him herself."

"_Hai_ Ayame-chan, you watch the counter, I'll check on our guest."

Hinata's eyes began to open. The smell of many different kinds of ramen filled her nose. She was also feeling very light headed. "I fainted again; and it was a strong one too."

When she finally opened her cream, lavender eyes, she could see the elderly ramen cook staring at her. He smiled his elderly smile. "So, you are finally awake."

Hinata blushed at the statement and ducked her head down to avoid his gaze. "G-gomen, I-I hope I d-didn't cause you t-too much trouble."

"No need to apologize Hinata-chan. It was no trouble, but it probably is a very good idea for you to go home now."

"H-hai, arigato. Y-you didn't need t-to trouble yourself."

He waved his hand dismissively. "I thought that I said that you were no trouble at all. You should leave before someone winds up missing you."

"H-hai, a-arigato Teuchi-san." Hinata stood herself up and exited through the back door as Teuchi looked at her with a fatherly smile. Back on the streets, Hinata took the time to recollect her thoughts. Thanks to the intensity of her faint, she temporarily lost her memories. It would take her some concentrated thought to reclaim them.

Shortly after Hinata reached the point where Ichiraku was no longer in sight, she could be seen sporting a very bright red blush all over her face. "They gave me the chopsticks Naruto-kun used. I practically ate after him. I wonder if that is what it is going to fell like to actually kiss him." She blushed even brighter. "No, it'll be even better." She shook her head side to side and looked down sadly. "What am I thinking? What are the chances that I will ever get to kiss him. He might have liked eating with my chopsticks, but once he knows it was me, he will avoid me. I don't know how I could handle that."

She lost some of her extra color as her mind went down different paths. "Maybe I should go see Kiba-kun. I should really apologize for what happened before. He was only trying to comfort me; I just took it the wrong way." Her mind made up, she continued to walk the streets of Konoha, eventually arriving at the hospital doors.

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I am happy that you readers have stuck with this story for as long as you have. I can promise you that things will start to pick up after the next four chapters. Until then, bear with me. If you are looking for a story where the events happen quickly, check out my other active story. I promise that it won't disappoint.

**Next chapter: Sensei's Lesson.**


	16. Sensei’s Lesson: Chapter 16

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." In training field seven, Naruto fights off one hundred of his clones. After that, he goes home for a nights sleep. The next day, he trains again. Back with Hinata; after her own training session, she heads off to Ichiraku Ramen. In one of the best moods of her life, she discovers that it is because she ate with Naruto's chopsticks. She of course, faints. Right at this time, Naruto appears. He enjoys drinking the broth of Hinata's ramen and eats his own order. After he leaves, Hinata wakes up and decides to go see Kiba.")

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**AMR: Thanks for the high ranking, but how am I going to find the stories you mentioned. You only given me their names. The search on this website is too broad for me to pinpoint those stories. Without an address, I can't find them.**

"**Sensei's Lesson"**

She walked through the hospital door and towards the steps. When she reached the correct floor, the Hyuga turned to the halls and made her way to her teammate's room. After steeling her nerves, she opened the door and walked in. Before she could respond, a small white blur charged straight for her. It collided with her chest, forcing her to step back a bit. She caught it in her arms. "A-A-Akamaru-chan." The puppy looked up at her and growled. "Oh, g-gomen Akamaru-k-kun."

Just then, loud boisterous laughter filled the room; but it eventually died down. "Akamaru, as long as you stay a little puppy, Hinata-chan is going to keep addressing you with chan. You might as well get used to it."

Akamaru continued growling, but switched his gaze towards his partner. While he was still growling, Hinata placed the dog gently on the ground. By time the sound stopped, Hinata and Kiba looked at each other before looking away; resulting in a long uncomfortable silence. They both suddenly faced each other and bowed. "Gomen K-Kiba-kun/Hinata-chan."

"N-no Kiba-kun, Y-you don't have t-to ap-apologize. Y-you w-were only t-trying to make m-me feel better. I-I shouldn't have c-cried."

"No Hinata-chan, it was my fault to begin with. I should really learn when I need to keep my mouth shut. Please, don't be sorry Hinata-chan."

"H-hai, gom…" Hinata gasped and brought her hands to her mouth.

Kiba released an exasperated sigh. "I guess that is close enough." He now looked at Hinata with a questioning gaze. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"H-hai, what is it K-Kiba-kun?"

He began rubbing the back of his head. "_Well_, I would like you to take Akamaru out for a walk. He has been able to leave, but has had no one to take him out. I would appreciate it if you do that for us."

"H-hai, I-I'll take Akamaru-ch-kun out f-for you Kiba-kun."

Kiba snickered at Hinata's slip while Akamaru growled. "Arigato Hinata-chan." He turned his gaze towards the puppy. "Don't cause her too much trouble Akamaru." The dog barked in response.

"L-let's go Akamaru-kun." Hinata left the room as Akamaru followed. As they walked the halls, Akamaru looked up at her and barked. She faced the puppy and looked down at him. "W-what is it Akamaru-kun?" In that moment, the white dog jumped up, forcing Hinata to catch him. Understanding the action, Hinata shifted the puppy so she could hold him in her left arm as she petted him with her free hand.

After leaving the hospital, she made her way to the park. It took her a few minutes to arrive. There were a few scattered trees with a forested area in the background. Dirt paths could be seen crisscrossing the field with scattered benches facing them. There were also a fair number of people around; mostly adults and their children. Before Hinata could put her cargo down, she heard a somewhat familiar voice calling her out. "Hello Hinata-chan, nice to see you again."

When Hinata turned around, she saw Arashi in his usual unzipped windbreaker and white t-shirt. "Oh, A-Arashi-san, it's you."

The man's expression became a disappointed one. "I am guessing that you aren't going to stop using the san honorific with me, aren't you. If you can't help it, then I should just stop trying I guess."

"Oh, g-gomen Arashi, I-I forgot."

"Don't worry about it." The tailor took up an 'informative/know-it-all pose.' "I am willing to bet that you are going to say san again very soon." Looking further down the kunoichi's body, the man took notice of something else. "Is that puppy yours, or does it belong to someone else."

Hinata looked down at her furry cargo. "Oh, A-Akamaru-chan, h-he isn't m-mine. H-he is really p-partnered to Kiba-kun. I am j-just taking h-him for a walk."

Arashi took up a 'thoughtful pose.' "Partners huh, this Kiba must be an Inuzuka?" He focused his chakra blue eyes on the pup. "Strange though; I thought that Inuzuka dogs were much bigger than this." Already annoyed by the chan honorific used by Hinata, Akamaru glared vehemently at Arashi for calling him little. It was not his fault that he was young. Arashi noticed this. "Gomen Akamaru, I didn't mean to offend." Arashi began petting him, eliciting a happy response.

Hinata looked at this in slight surprise. "That's odd. Usually when someone tries to pet Akamaru-chan like that, they wind up getting bitten. I wonder why Arashi didn't."

Hinata was broken from her musing by Arashi, who finished petting Akamaru. "Hinata-chan, if you are taking Akamaru out for a walk, then you probably would want to put him down now."

Hinata jumped a little as her memory was given a jolt. "Oh, I forgot." After she finally put Akamaru on the ground, he ran off to find somewhere to do his business.

Hinata turned towards Arashi when she noticed him snickering. "Good thing I reminded you to put him down or he might have relieved himself regardless.

Hinata blushed at the idea. "A-Akamaru-chan wouldn't do that." She took up her 'protective pose' as she faced the man. "Ano, h-how were y-you able t-to get A-Akamaru-chan t-to trust you l-like that Arashi-san?"

He laughed a little. "I hear that a lot. Unless the animal is outright vicious or cowardly, I can usually gain its trust without even trying." He laughed again, but a bit louder. "I told you that you would use the san honorific soon." Hinata blushed at the fact that she was caught. He walked over to a bench to take a seat before motioning her to follow. He began to speak as soon as she took the seat. "Hinata-chan, would you consider yourself strong when compared to others of your clan."

Hinata was surprised by the out of place question, but shook herself out of it. "N-no, I am the f-failure o-of the cl-clan."

"No, you are not. If anything, you are a success of your clan."

She looked at him with complete surprise. "N-n-nani?"

"Hinata-chan, you are different, special. Most of your clan are stern, emotionless, strict, and judging. You are none of those things. If anything, you are the opposite. The power of a single good shinobi is usually dependent on how different they are. Because their minds work in other ways, they are able to see other ways of doing things. Take your youngest Hokage. He was as different as they come. He did not create the jutsu that won Konoha the war by being like everyone else. By being so different from your clansmen, you have this same kind of potential; you just have to take advantage of it. Don't be afraid to differentiate from your clansmen further. Also, don't hesitate to look at yourself differently. If you can manage that, it will lead you to greatness." He stood up and began to walk away. "Hinata-chan, I am certain that you have the potential to go down in history; the potential to surpass histories best. I will ensure that you and the other shall achieve that potential."

She watched the tailor walk away while giving her a back handed wave. "He practically said that I could be as strong as The Fourth." Eventually, after some hyperventilating, the blushing Hyuga shook her head. She then looked around to find that Akamaru finally finished running around and trotted back to her. When he got in front of her, his tail wagging, Hinata looked down at him with a light smile. She picked him up so she would be holding him the same way as before. She then made her way back to the hospital.

As soon as she got into Kiba's room, Akamaru leapt out of her arms, causing her to stumble back a bit. "Hey Akamaru." Said dog raced across the small room and jumped into his partner's arms. Kiba then looked up at Hinata. "Arigato Hinata-chan."

"Y-your welcome K-Kiba-kun; d-do you n-need anything else?"

He stared at her blankly before waving his hands dismissively. No, not at all, I am good for now."

Hinata nodded. "H-hai, I'll b-be going now."

Kiba watched as Hinata left and closed the door. His attention switched to his partner due to a series of yips and barks. "What was that Akamaru?" Kiba listened carefully to Akamaru's series of barks, yips, and growls while nodding periodically. "That _is_kind of weird. How do you think Hinata-chan met this guy? I hope he isn't some kind of creep." Akamaru whined then barked, which Kiba interpreted as, 'I don't know, but he seemed nice.' "_Well, _alright then. We should still ask Hinata-chan about him the next time we see her though." This earned an agreeing bark.

**Some unknown location in Konoha, late in the afternoon.**

"_MAN,_I have been looking for hours and I still haven't seen Sakura-chan yet. Where is she?" He already ate lunch at Ichiraku and was getting sick of fighting his clones. This left him with nothing to do. The blonde's blue eyes darted from left to right in search of any sign of pink. As he looked, he noticed a bit of silver instead, resulting in a sour expression. "_Well_, since I can't find Sakura-chan, I might as well ask Kakashi-sensei didn't tell me about my clones."

Naruto began to run after his sensei. Before he could get close enough to say anything, the man jumped up to the roofs too quickly for Naruto to see. Naruto expressed his anger in every possible silent manner before giving chase. He hopped across rooftops in frustration. "I'll never be able to find him this way." Naruto smiled when a rather new idea popped into his head. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." After a second, all of the extra Naruto split up in search for one man.

One passed by a bookstore that had Kakashi standing at the window. The Naruto prepared to turn, but slipped instead. This resulted in him crashing head into the raised edge of a building.

Because of this one Naruto's blunder, all the ones that remained learned of the location and converged on it. By time they all arrived, Kakashi was already gone. They all looked around but were unable to see him anywhere. They then split up and continued their search. Another Naruto saw him again, but this time managed to be careful enough to jump in front of the man without blunder. He pointed at the jonin with an angry white eyes. **That's an accusing pose.**"I HAVE BEEN CHASING YOU FOR SEVEN MINUTES! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!"

By chance, one of the others happened to be close enough to hear this. He ran towards the sound and dispersed when it confirmed that Kakashi was still there. All of the remaining Naruto once again converged on the location. This time, he was still there. All of the clones disappeared, signaling the original to jump down.

**Blending flashback, Kakashi's conversation with the clone. (A blending flashback is one that doesn't really end; its end just 'blends' with the continuation of the story.)**

The man eye-smiled and spoke in an amused tone. "You were looking for me?" The clone was still in an 'accusing pose.' "DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP, WHY WERE YOU RUNNING FROM ME?"

Kakashi leaned towards the clone. "I wasn't running from you. An annoying insect was buzzing in my ears and following me around. It was very difficult to lose."

Hearing this, the clone's brain shut down for a bit before he took up his previous pose. "THAT IS THE WORST LIE I EVER HEARD! NO WAY CAN A STUPID BUG DO THAT!"

Kakashi ignored the yelling. "What do you need me for?"

"I WANT YOU TO TELL ME WHY YOU NEVER TOLD ME THAT I CAN GET MY CLONE'S MEMORIES." The clone looked down solemnly. "It could have helped in bringing Sasuke back."

Kakashi had a witty remark prepared, but chose not to use it. His hands dropped to his sides. "I didn't tell you because, _well_. In all honesty … I have no reason for not telling you. As your sensei, it is my responsibility to give you all of the knowledge and skills necessary for you to survive as a shinobi. I could have done a lot towards that goal. I have no real excuses." The clone gave the jonin a halfhearted glare. "We should continue this in the training field to avoid attracting attention."

Suddenly, another Naruto came from Kakashi's left and landed between the two. The Naruto Kakashi was speaking to disappeared. The original Naruto looked at the jonin with eyes narrowed in annoyance. "An insect?"

The jonin chuckled nervously, before eye smiling and giving Naruto a two finger salute. "See you at the training grounds; ja ne."

Naruto grumbled before making his way to the training grounds. When he got there, Naruto saw that the field was minus one Kakashi Hatake. A vein on his forehead bulged as he sat on the ground cross-legged. "He's probably 'running from a bug' again." That thought played through his head long enough for him to start seething. "HEY, I'M NOT AN INSECT!"

One hour later, Naruto had three vein bulges and a reddened face. Kakashi finally showed up, at which time, Naruto took up an 'accusing position.' "YOU'RE LATE!"

Kakashi leaned in and eye smiled. "I didn't tell you when to be here, _so_, I am technically not late."

Naruto became even angrier. "JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO SO I CAN GO!"

Kakashi began moving his hands back and forth in a placating manner. "Now, Now, no need to yell. Don't worry, what I am about to tell you is going to be well worth any wait, even if it is for a year."

Naruto stared at his sensei with narrow eyes and growled. "Come to think of it, I became your student about a year ago. You _could_ have told me then. This better be good."

Kakashi took out his orange book and began reading; which of course annoyed Naruto. "You know that you can get your clone's memories back when they disperse, right?" Naruto nodded. "Well, this can help you with any kind of conditioning excluding physical exercise." Glancing from his book, the jonin took note of Naruto's bemused expression, causing him to sigh. "Put simply, you can double your training if you and one of your Shadow Clones train at the same thing at the same time."

Naruto now sported a large grin as he took up an 'exited pose.' "Wow, that's amazing Kakashi-sensei. Does that mean that if I did a pushup and a clone did a pushup, it is like I did two?"

Kakashi performed a sweat-dropped. "He is not quite getting it.No Naruto, you can use your clones to speed up chakra control training, learning taijutsu forms, being more accurate with your weapons, learning ninjutsu, and even brainstorming. The only things you can't use them for is increasing your bodies strength and resistance to pain."

Naruto now gave the jonin a look that resembled idol worship. "So that's how you do it. You act lazy all the time, but you are really using clones that are training were we can't see you."

"Unfortunately, it is not that simple. In order to make it work, the person has to have very large chakra reserves and are able to recover it quickly. Even I don't have the chakra necessary for this method of training."

Naruto became solemn yet again. "I guess that means that I won't be able to train this way after all."

"Actually Naruto, you _can_ train this way. Thanks to your ..tenant, you _do_ posses these necessary qualities."

Naruto blinked stupidly and placed his hand over his belly. "Oh, him; I guess that's another thing the baka fur-ball is good for."

Kakashi chuckled at the fact that the dreaded Kyūbi no Yōkō is being referred to as a fur-ball. "There are two more things I must tell you about the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"Really, what are they?"

"First off, you must know is that what ever you are thinking when you create a clone, that clone will have those thoughts. This is a great way to give silent commands to your clones. Secondly, you should know that clones cannot travel far from their creator. This rule does not apply to Shadow Clones. Shadow Clones can travel a limitless distance from the creator as long as they have enough of their own chakra to sustain themselves and their creator remains conscious. The third thing you should know that the strength of any solid clone is dependent on the strength of its creator. Shadow Clones have more of their creator's strength than any other clone type. This is because they are able to use any ninjutsu or genjutsu their creator can. They are not just limited to weapons and taijutsu. Remember that the stronger you are, the stronger your clones are. "

Naruto took on an excited pose. "I guess that means that I should train even harder Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi nodded before disappearing in a swirl of smoke and leaves. "I hate it when he does that. Oh _well,_I guess I should try to get that special training in." Naruto sat cross-legged in his own 'thoughtful pose.' "I'll have ten do water walking on the river and five do tree walking. Since I don't have anyone to teach me any taijutsu, I will just exercise until I can't anymore."

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**Another chapter is down. If you are still looking for something to read, my profile is a good place to look.**

**Next Chapter: A Meeting**


	17. A Meeting: Chapter 17

**Underlined speech is thought.**

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Hinata enters Kiba's room only to get tackled by Akamaru. The pair says their apologies to each other before Kiba asks Hinata to take Akamaru out. On this outing, she once again runs into Arashi. At the end of their conversation, he tells her that those who are different are strong. She then takes Akamaru back to Kiba. The canine pair talks about Arashi after she leaves. Back with Naruto, he happens to see Kakashi while looking for Sakura. He spends a few minutes giving chase with his clones. After this, they go to the training grounds where Naruto learns more about clones. At this time, Kakashi leaves Naruto alone.)

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**This chapter is a bit boring, but it sets up a few important events. This chapter was so boring that I couldn't force myself to diligently search for mistakes. The only thing interesting is who Naruto meets. Oh well, on with the story.**

**PS: Props to MistressWinowyll for dropping me all those worth reading reviews for so many chapters.**

"**A Meeting"**

As Naruto performed his physical exercises, the ten water walking clones and four of the tree walkers started up games of rock-paper-scissors or staring contest. This left the fifth tree walker out of the fun. To pass the time, he decided to try alternating between using his hands and feet. This proved to be harder in practice than in theory.

These memories were instantly transferred to the original as he ran. "Baka, clone; trying to do something he isn't good enough to do." The blonde's eyes widened at the realization. "What that clone was doing required more chakra control than just walking on the tree. Maybe I should have the rest do the same thing." When he arrived at the location, he noticed that there were still five clones tree walking. "They must have created their own clones to replace the one that was lost. I guess that they can think for themselves." Naruto created fifteen more clones to double the training. "You all know what to do." All of the clones ran off after saluting. Naruto continued his running.

It didn't take him long to start getting the memories of blundering clones. A little bit later, he noticed that all the memories came from the tree walkers. He soon received the reason for this. One clone was distracted by the water walkers falling into the water and pulling themselves out. A new problem arose when tree walking clones were running out of chakra from having to replace blundering clones. "I guess they can't recover their chakra like I can." He created twenty more clones and sent them all off to do tree walking. A while later, he could tell the training was working by the growing time between destroyed clones.

Finished with the physical routine, Naruto decided to repeat it, doing only half as much as the last one. During this, he created fifteen clones to replace the ones that had been lost. He would have made more, but he was starting to feel tired. When he finished, an exhausted Naruto made his way back to check on his clones. He could see forty clones, all showing their fatigue. Half were on the trees while the others were on the water. He started waving energetically. "WE ARE ALL DONE TRAINING FOR NOW!"

All of the clones looked at Naruto and nodded, before disappearing all at once. With his body as tired as it originally was, Naruto didn't even have time for a headache before he collapsed. He remained there, from dusk to dawn.

**Day five out of seven.**

The sun peaked over the treetop horizon. Eventually, the light reached the closed eyes of the orange clad blond. He lay on the grassy ground spread eagle as he snored loudly. Even with the sun in his eyes, it was a while before it began to register to the sleeping Jinchūriki

His eyelids twitched for a few seconds before they finally opened in one smooth motion. Naruto sat up and yawned into his hand. That same hand came further up and proceeded to rub the side of its owner's head. "_Ouch, _why does my head hurt?" He sat up into his 'thoughtful pose.' "Okay, I told all of my clones to dispel themselves. Just after they did, I blacked out." Naruto groaned a bit. "I should probably ask Kakashi-sensei about that the next time I see him. He'll know what happened."

Naruto pushed himself off of the ground and then rubbed his stomach. "Time for breakfast." Without hesitation, Naruto ran back towards the village. On the way to Ichiraku, Naruto saw a certain jonin walking along the same path. "I might as well ask." The blond stopped running as soon as he reached the man reading an orange book. "Kakashi-sensei, I tried training like you told me, but when I dispelled my clones, I blacked out."

Kakashi looked skyward absentmindedly and hummed. "I knew there was something I forgot to tell you.

The blond glared and grumbled. "_Well_, tell me."

The jonin dropped his head and book so Naruto could see his eye smile. "There is a limit to how much the human mind can take. When you dispelled all of your clones at once, you brain had to take in Kami knows how much info. This caused a complete mental overload."

Naruto took up his 'thoughtful pose.' "So all I have to do is dispel my clones one at a time."

"Hai, that'd be the best thing for you to do. I truly don't understand why keep calling you a complete baka. You're not _that_ bad."

Naruto started rubbing the back of his head. "Arigato Kakashi-sensei." He then looked at the man with a questioning expression. "Are you going to the training grounds to train?"

Kakashi's eye smile actually increased in size. "No, I am going to watch the grass grow. It is quite relaxing."

Naruto performs a face-fault, giving Kakashi the time to leave him alone. He quickly recovered. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHAT KIND OF REASON IS THAT?" The man was already gone. He huffed and puffed in anger before turning back to his original mission, Ichiraku. Naruto had to skid to a stop before walking into the stand. "Hey Ayame-nee-chan, Jii-san, I'll have a large miso pork and two large beef."

The teen looked at him questioningly. "Aren't you a little early for lunch Naruto-kun."

He began rubbing the back of his head. "I fell asleep while I was training."

Ayame took up an 'informative pose' and leaned towards Naruto. "You shouldn't over do it Naruto-kun, What if you get hurt."

Teuchi decide to put in his two cents. "Yeah, what will we do without our best customer?"

Ayame hit her father on the head with a wooden spoon that seemed to come from nowhere. She then faced Naruto with a sweet smile. "Don't listen to him Naruto-kun, you are more than a customer to us."

Naruto once again started rubbing the back of his head. "Arigato Nee-chan." Moments later, which was forever in Naruto's opinion, the first of the three bowls was placed in front of him. After the meal was finished, he paid and ran off. "It is time to get more training in." The blond ran full speed, not watching where he was going. He crashed into someone, causing him to fall on his butt. He immediately place one hand on the ground for balance and took up a 'frustrated pose.' "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"

The man Naruto crashed into at full speed brought his left foot forward as if he was barely knocked back. Naruto didn't notice this. The person he crashed into wore dark green cargos, a white t-shirt, and a navy-blue windbreaker. He had flat brown hair and glared at Naruto with eyes that reminded him of the color of chakra. "If you weren't running, this wouldn't have happened. You might want to think before you place the blame on someone else. Are you really that unwilling to accept that _you_ may have done something wrong, instead of someone else." Naruto grumbled at being unable to come up with a good comeback. The man's glare softened into an inquisitive stare. "You know, that jumpsuit looks familiar to me. I worked on one just like it almost a week ago."

The cross-legged blonde's expression became confused. "What do you mean?"

"_Well_, just six days ago, a young lady brought a jumpsuit just like that one into my tailor's shop. The wounds that would have been under that jacket should have been near fatal. I highly doubt that someone with injuries like that would be up and about in just six days."

Already standing, the blond took up a 'haughty pose.' "Hah, shows what you know. I am a really fast healer."

"If that is the case, then it _was_ your jumpsuit I repaired."

Naruto once again took up his 'thoughtful pose.' "Yeah, I guess Obaa-chan took it to you while I was still out cold."

The man blinked a bit and raised his eyebrows. "_Obaa-chan,_ the girl who came to me must have been your age. She was also quite nice. She paid full price even when I told her that it was half off. On top of that, she didn't look like any relative of yours."

Naruto added more to his 'thoughtful pose' by bringing his left hand up to his chin. "It couldn't be Obaa-chan. She would never pay full price if she had a choice. _Maybe_, no, the same thing goes for Sakura-chan too." Naruto looked up at the man inquisitively. "Can you tell me her name?"

"Hai, I can. Her name is Hinata, sound familiar?"

"Hi..na..ta? It took a few seconds for the lights to turn on. "Do you mean Hinata Hyuga?"

The brunette nodded. "Hai, that's her."

Naruto was shocked. "I knew Hinata was nice, but I wouldn't have expected her to do something like that. We hardly talk, yet she still manages to be a good friend. I should defiantly thank her next chance I get." _**Don't you just want to ring his little neck.**_

The man bowed towards Naruto. "We have yet to introduce ourselves. My name is Arashi Ayama. What is yours?"

Broken from his musings, the blond focused on the upright tailor and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh!" He then took up a 'haughty pose' with his thumb against his chest. "I AM NARUTO UZUMAKI, FUTURE HOKAGE!"

Arashi stuck his pinky into his left ear and started twisting it. "Naruto Uzumaki eh; you _do_ know that I would have heard you without the yelling. Do you use it as a weapon? If you don't, you should. Just yell full volume into you foe's ears and they will be disoriented for at least thirty seconds." Naruto growled and glared. "_Well,_ I have something I have to do right now so see you later." The tailor left Naruto, intent on arriving at his destination without further delay. He quickly reached the Hokage tower.

He walked through the opening and made his way to the reception's desk. He waited patiently for the long haired brunette to respond to him. After some time, he saw her look up at him with a fake smile. "Hello, may I help you?"

Arashi smiled a more genuine one. "Hai, I would like to have a meeting with Hokage-sama tomorrow."

She nodded. "Hai, I will check to see if she has any openings." The woman opened a rather large binder and looked through it. "There is an opening at 16:00 tomorrow. Will that do?"

"Any time works for me as long as it is tomorrow."

"Hai, I will pencil you in then."

"Arigato, I won't be late." Arashi left the tower, grinning mischievously at his one thought. "Tomorrow is going to be fun."

**In training field seven.**

The fruit of Naruto's control training has ripened. He can now perform back-flips on the water with complete ease. Now he wanted to try some control training with more than tree walking and water walking. There was no point in testing it out on the Transformation or Substitution Jutsu, so that left only one choice, Rasengan.

The blond took up his usual stance for the jutsu. His right hand was drawn back with his left held out. After some building of chakra, his right hand shot rapidly over his left until a sphere of spiraling energy formed. With the jutsu completed, Naruto decided to let it dissipate instead of using it on the trees. A few weeks ago, when he was mastering Rasengan, he realized that it was possible to run out of trees.

"Rasengan is too easy with two hands, so let's try one. Shadow Clone Jutsu." Forty-nine extra Naruto filled the area, all working on a one handed Rasengan. They were unfortunately unable to get the jutsu to work. An hour later, the clones were starting to dispel due to their fixed amounts of chakra. Only another half hour passed before the original was left alone. He tried to perform the jutsu again. His expression became completely concentrated as he strained towards success. It took him a minute, but he reached that point.

He used Shadow Clone Jutsu again to form ten clones as he went off to perform his physical training. Almost an hour later, the clones started disappearing again. Naruto ran towards them in time to see the last on disappear as it tried for one more Rasengan. He once again tested his Rasengan forming skills, managing to form it in half the time as before. "Ha, I'll have this mastered in no time." Instead of running like normal, Naruto calmly walked back to the village. He chose not to go to Ichiraku this time around, but to go straight home. When he arrived, he put some water into his tea kettle and started to boil it. He changed out of his sweat drenched clothes and put on an outfit just like it.

Soon, his favorite whistling sound filled the small complex. Being as excitable as he is, Naruto ran the short distance and prepared his ramen. Over the next three minutes, the blond tapped the table endlessly. He then thought about what to do next. "I want to see Sakura-chan, but I don't know where to find her. Maybe Obaa-chan knows where she is. It is the Hokage's job to know those kinds of things." He left his apartment and ran straight for the Hokage's tower.

Almost there, his blue eyes picked up on a read figure with pink over it. He waved at the figure energetically. "HEY SAKURA-CHAN!" Before she could turn all the way around, Naruto already closed the distance.

Sakura was sweaty, red faced, panting, and slightly slouched with disheveled hair. "Hello Naruto, what are you doing here?"

Naruto closed his eyes went to rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I was hoping that we could go on a date." His eyes opened and he leaned towards the kunoichi with an inquisitive stare. "You look awful Sakura-chan."

A vein bulged on her forehead and she hit him. "I AM NOT GOING TO DEAL WITH YOU TODAY! I ASKED TSUNADE-SENSEI TO TRAIN ME AND SHE TURNS OUT TO BE A SLAVE DRIVER! THE LONGEST BREAK SHE GAVE ME DURING TRAINIG WAS BARELY ENOUGH FOR TWO BREATHS! I THINK SHE'S TRYING TO KILL ME!"

On his hands and knees, Naruto backed away from the girl he became terrified of. "Ano, S-Sakura-chan?" He stood up and laughed nervously. "_Well,_ see you later Sakura-chan."

Naruto prepared to run away. "Stop right there Naruto." He froze in place. "Where are you going to be tomorrow at noon?"

He turned around and took up an 'excited pose' right in front of his teammate. "Does this mean that you'll go out on a date with me?"

He eye twitched, but she reigned herself in. "No Naruto, Tsunade-sensei said that both Neji and Choji are showing signs of waking up. They should be up by tomorrow. Their team will be visiting them as well. This way, you can tell everyone about your trip instead of looking for them all over the village like the baka you are. I was asking if you were free at noon because that is when visiting hours start."

"_Oh,_ will you be there Sakura-chan?"

She nodded. "Hai, someone has to be there to keep you from getting lost or too loud. I will be waiting in the main lobby at noon. _DON'T _pull a Kakashi-sensei on me."

Naruto pulled back from Sakura's force of words. "H-hai Sakura-chan."

She smiled an innocent smile. "Good." She then left will a little more bounce in her step. Alone once again, Naruto went off to do more training. He had fifteen clones work on the one handed Rasengan as he performed physical exercise. At around 18:30, he was eating ramen at Ichiraku. The then went home and to bed at 19:00 in hopes of not sleeping past noon.

**Day six out of seven.**

Hinata woke up to a peaceful morning. Because her sensei requested that training start early, the Hyuga quickly ate breakfast and left the compound. She turned out to be half an hour early. All that extra time was spent looking at the flowers in the more secluded spots. Kurenai and Shino soon showed up.

Both genin assembled in front of Kurenai. "We will be training until 11:30, four hours from now. All our exercises will be light but lengthy. First will be a one hour run in the forest for a warm up. Next is half an hour of upper body exercise. Finally, you will spar for another half an hour. We will repeat this regiment once more. After that, you are free to do what you want for an hour. At 12:30, I want you two back here for more training. Kiba will be joining us."

"T-that's right, K-Kiba-kun is b-being released today."

Kurenai nodded. "Hai, but he will need to take it easy; BEGIN!" The young pair jumped into the forest at the sudden cue. They ran through the forest in a strait path, performed pushups and pull-ups, and sparred. After performing these once more, they all left to do their own thing.

**Back with Naruto at the same time.**

Training has been going very well for him. It was still a little difficult for him to perform the Rasengan with just one hand, taking ten seconds, but he can create a two handed one in just three seconds. Due to how quickly there were forming their Rasengan; the clones were running out of chakra at a faster rate than normal. This meant a headache for Naruto that was only made worse by the furious beating of his heart that was supplying energy to his aching body. Despite all these pains, only one thing could distract him from his intense round of training, ramen.

After his remaining clone disappeared, the blond ran back to the village, ignoring the pounding in his head. As he ran, he performed a one-handed Rasengan in just under ten seconds. Minutes later, Naruto walked into the ramen stand. "Hey Jii-san; I'll have one large shrimp, one large miso, and one large beef."

"Hai Naruto-kun, it will be ready in a few."

As Teuchi cooked, Ayame came up to Naruto wearing a somber expression. "So, tomorrow is it?"

Naruto's expression now reflected hers. "Hai, I am leaving tomorrow."

"We won't be seeing you for three years. It'll be lonely without you."

"Arigato Ayame-chan, I am going to miss you both and your ramen."

Ayame giggled. "Just be careful and … come back to us."

"Hai, the first thing I am going to do when I get back is eat six large bowls of ramen."

Ayame laughed at this comment. "Otou-san will hold you to that promise." She wiped the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.

"You can bet I will." Teuchi placed the first of Naruto's order on the bar.

Naruto wiped away his own tears and picked up his chopsticks. He broke them apart and dug into his meal at half the speed. When he was finished with all three bowls, he paid and gave two of his favorite people his usual goodbye. "I wonder what I should do now." He froze mid-step as something struck his mind.

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**A bit of an abrupt end, but it was necessary. The next chapter will be very short compared to average. After chapter nineteen, I am unsure if I can keep up the once a week updates. They might alternate from once a week to every other week. Don't worry though, I won't quit on this story.**

**PS: Can some of you check out my other story, "A Demon's Last Decision?" I am in serious need for ideas.**

**Next Chapter: Visiting, Part One.**


	18. Visiting, Part One: Chapter 18

**Underlined speech is thought.**

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Naruto creates a group of clones to do some chakra control training. Along the way, he creates additional clones. He then blacks out from the mental backlash after they dispel. When he wakes up, he heads off towards the village and runs into Kakashi, who then explains why he blacked out. Naruto eats at Ichiraku and talks about his upcoming departure. On his way back to training, Naruto runs into Arashi. He then learns about how Hinata was the one who took his jumpsuit for repairs. After parting with Naruto, Arashi heads off to the Hokage's tower to set up a meeting. For Naruto, he starts working on the Rasengan. He then goes home for ramen. After that, he leaves to find Sakura. He manages to do that. After hitting him for the usual rude comment, she tells him to be at the hospital at noon the next day. After more training and Ichiraku, he goes home to sleep. Back with Hinata, she leaves the compound to perform some morning training with her team and to learn that Kiba will join them later. With Naruto again, he eats at Ichiraku after some more training. As he leaves, he remembers something he had to do.)

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**If you haven't noticed, this chapter is very short. The next one should be longer and more entertaining. The one after is when the fun really starts.**

"**Visiting, Part One"**

The temporarily frozen blond suddenly turned around and bolted. "I'M GOING TO BE LATE! SAKURA-CHAN IS GOING TO KILL ME!" Naruto pushed out every little bit of strength he could from his legs, causing him to run faster than ever. Tears cascaded from his eyes as he imagined what his temperamental teammate will do to him.

He charged through the hospital door and tumbled across the floor, ending up in an undignified heap at Sakura's feet. The pink haired kunoichi tapped her left foot angrily as a vein bulged on her forehead. "You're late."

Naruto bolted up and became very defensive. "Gomen Sakura-chan; I was eating at Ichiraku Ramen and lost track of time, _honest_."

Sakura sighed. "That is a believable excuse considering that it's Naruto. Besides, he is only a few minutes late. Blaming him for eating ramen at this time is like blaming the sky for being blue. I still have to make sure it doesn't become a habit like with Kakashi-sensei. That is a horrible excuse for being late."

Naruto bowed to her repeatedly. "Gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen, I didn't mean to."

She rolled her eyes. "_Alright already Naruto_; will you stop crying so we can get this over with."

"She's not going to hit me." He jumped forward with wide open arms. "Arigato Sakura-chan." Before the hug could connect, Sakura gave Naruto one good bop on the head, sending him to the floor. He sat himself up with crossed legs and started rubbing the large bump. "Ita, that hurt Sakura-chan." **I will be using the Japanese word for 'ouch' from now on, which is ita.**

She was barely able to keep herself from yelling. "No hugging."

They suddenly heard boisterous laughter coming from a short distance away. Both faced the sound and saw Kiba in his usual grey jacket with Akamaru sticking out of it. "What's wrong Naruto? Can't you handle a little bop on the head?"

"SHUT IT DOG BREATH, I STILL KICKED YOU BUTT!"

Kiba took up a 'frustrated pose.' "I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THAT A BAKA LIKE YOU _COULD _BEAT ME!"

Naruto also took up the same pose right in front of Kiba. "BELIEVE IT MUTT, _I _BEAT YOU!"

Sakura hit them both on the head. "Be quite you two. We are in a hospital."

Kiba sat up, sporting a nice bump. "Ita, forget what I said earlier; that woman hits hard. No wonder you can take so many hits without going down. I am going to have to get in some serious training to catch up with you."

Naruto sat up with two bumps on his head. "Phat chance, I'll have three years to train without annoying missions."

Kiba looked at him with a stupefied expression and Akamaru's mouth opened wide. "Three … years … off. Why are _you _getting that kind of time off for training?"

Naruto crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Obaa-chan told me that Ero-sennin is taking me on a training trip for three years."

Both Kiba and Akamaru had one thing to say. "Eh?"

An irritated Sakura decided to clarify what Naruto meant. "Obaa-chan is Hokage-sama and Ero-sennin is Jiraiya-sama."

Kiba suddenly stood up. "_NANI_, YOU ARE GOING TO BE APPRENTICED TO ONE OF _THE_ SANIN!"

Naruto took up a 'haughty pose' after standing. "Hai, I guess you weren't good enough to be considered for the position."

Kiba took up a "frustrated pose' with a competitive expression. "Apprentice or not, I am still going to beat you. All I have to do is train until I'm the stronger one." Kiba's entire body relaxed. He then brought his hands to his head franticly. "Crap, I forgot about training." He formed a single hand seal. "All Fours Jutsu." He hunched down and grew claws. He then bolted past the other two and out of the hospital doors, causing them to swing violently.

Both Naruto and Sakura stared at the swinging doors with blank expressions and mouths agape. "What was that about Sakura-chan?"

"L-like he said; he was late for his training." She dropped that expression and looked at Naruto seriously. "Back to business Naruto; who do you want to see first, Choji or Neji?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Who's closer?"

Sakura's head drooped slightly as her eye twitched. Instead of acting on her frustration, she took a deep breath. "Choji."

"_Alright then_, first we see Choji, then Neji."

Sakura nodded. "Follow me Naruto." The pair ignored the stairs on their way. The rooms for treating poisoned and seriously injured shinobi were both on the first floor. This was done because in the world of shinobi, every second could count for those people. They eventually stopped at a door with 120 over it. "Try to be nice Naruto."

Sakura opened the door, making way for Naruto to enter. Leaning on the left wall was Shikamaru. Asuma was on the left side of the door with the usual cigarette sticking out of his mouth. On the right was Ino. Her platinum blond hair was almost completely grown out from what happened at the chunin exams. "Hey Naruto, _billboard _brow."

He lids came down as her eyebrows twitched. "This is not the place or the time for our rivalry Ino-pig."

Asuma gave his female student a serious gaze. "Sakura is right Ino. I want your rivalry to be put on hold for now."

Ino turned her head back to the bed and spoke sharply. "Fine."

Naruto ignored all of this and went straight for Shikamaru. "Hey Shikamaru, how you doing?"

Shikamaru sighed and muttered one word. "Troublesome."

Naruto looked at him with very narrow eyes. "Do you have to say troublesome all the time Shikamaru?"

The chunin sighed. "Bothersome, Ino has been complaining about us not being able to bring her Sasuke back and will not shut up about the way Choji looks right now."

Naruto was confused about that last comment until he glanced at the person in the bed. The brown haired boy with swirls on his cheeks was leaned against the back of the bed. He was thin, bordering on anorexic. He gave Naruto a glare that obviously said 'don't say a word.' **This is Naruto.** The blond pointed at him in surprise. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU CHOJI? YOU USED TO BE _SO_ FAT, BUT NOW YOU'RE _SO_ THIN."

Choji took up a 'frustrated pose' plus a set of large blocked teeth. "SHUT UP NARUTO, I AM NOT FAT."

Naruto turned his head to the right with closed eyes and released a shot of air through his teeth. "Not right now you're not."

Although not hard enough to send him to the ground, Sakura hit Naruto before Choji could respond. "I told you to be nice."

"Troublesome." He was not heard.

Naruto had his hands on his head. "Ita, what did I do?"

"Stop goofing off Naruto and give them the news."

Choji looked at Naruto and blinked "_News?_" Ino looked at the blond as she could feel her gossip senses tingling. Even Asuma was curious. Shikamaru was indifferent.

Naruto let his hands drop as he looked at Ino, Choji, Asuma, and then Shikamaru. "You haven't told them about it yet Shikamaru?"

Everyone looked at the Nara who shrugged. "Too troublesome."

The looks became glares excluding Choji and Asuma, who sighed. Naruto was first to find his voice as he gave Shikamaru an 'accusing pose.' "YOU LAZY JERK! NOW I HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT!"

Shikamaru smirked. "I thought you liked shooting off your big mouth." Everyone excluding the angry Naruto laughed or chuckled at his expense with Choji being the loudest.

Before the pissed blond could begin yelling again, the other blond spoke up. "Can you tell us the news already? We're dying to know."

Naruto looked at the kunoichi and took up a 'sheepish pose.' "Gomen." Naruto's arms crossed his chest as he looked at the ceiling. "I am going on a three year training trip with Ero-sennin. I'm leaving tomorrow."

When he finished, Naruto was slapped in the back of the head. "Baka, every time you use one of those nicknames of yours, I have to explain who they are. _You _do it this time."

"Hai Sakura-chan, gomen." Naruto looked at Asuma, Ino, and then Choji, all of whom were wearing confused expressions. "I am training with Jiraiya, but he is still a big pervert."

Asuma kept himself composed, but his two students did something else. "_YOU_ ARE BEING TRAINED BY JIRAIYA OF THE SANNIN?"

At the end of the double yell, Ino stopped leaning against the wall and ran towards the door. Sakura reached out and grabbed her by the back of the shirt. "Don't think about it Ino-pig."

Despite being solidly stopped, Ino continued in her attempt to spread the newest gossip. The only thing keeping Sakura planted was the chakra focused at her feet. "Let me go billboard brow. This is the biggest news since you became Tsunade-sama's apprentice. I have to tell someone."

"_NO INO-PIG!_ Tsunade-sensei told me that she wants to keep this quiet until Naruto leaves. You can tell everyone after. As soon as you found out about me and becoming Tsunade-sensei's apprentice, everyone knew about it the next day."

Ino crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance. "Fine!"

"I'm serious Ino, if this gets to the villagers, Tsunade-sensei will be very angry. I _will_ make sure that she knows who was responsible."

Ino gulped. "H-hai Sakura; I won't tell till he's gone." After being set free, she turned towards her fellow blond. "Naruto, how strong do you think you are going to get training under a Sannin?"

He took up a 'haughty pose' with a thumb on his chest. "Ha, I'll be strong enough to be jonin."

Choji gave him a frustrated pose. "Oh _yeah_ Naruto!" His expression switched to a competitive one. "I'm not letting you get too far ahead of me. I'll be stronger than you thought possible when you come back."

The pineapple head sighed. "Training to be stronger would be _so_ troublesome, but letting you two brag to me about how much stronger you are would be even more troublesome." The lazy chunin stopped leaning against the wall and stood strait to prove his point."

"_Oh, _no way I'm letting you baka get ahead of me. I'm going to get stronger just so I can slap you two around if you slack off."

Sakura's expression was one of shock with widened eyes and mouth slightly agape. It then switched into a small closed-eye-smile. "Amazing … first he inspires me to get stronger, and then here he is doing it again. Naruto just convinced Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru, probably one of the laziest teams ever, to begin taking their training more seriously. He would make a great sensei." He smile grew wider at the thought of a jonin Naruto leading his own team of genin. She opened her eyes and looked at her enigma of a teammate. "Naruto, we should go and see Neji now." She turned around and opened the door.

"Hai Sakura-chan." He followed his teammate out the door, leaving the four in the room. "Which room is Neji in Sakura-chan?"

"He is in room 151." When they passed room 149, they froze at the sight of utter destruction.

* * *

**This is the second shortest chapter. It is a fairly boring chapter too. Oh well, till next week.**

**Next Chapter: Visit, Part Two.**


	19. Visiting, Part Two: Chapter 19

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Naruto ran off to the hospital after remembering that he had a noon appointment. His entrance was a bit much but Sakura didn't hit him for it. She did hit him for trying to hug her. Kiba showed up, laughing at Naruto. This led to some banter and some promises to become strong. They then headed of to Choji's room. He once again has to explain his trip to team ten. This led to more promises to become strong. They then left the room to head for Neji's. They were not expecting to see the destruction they saw.)

* * *

**Because I didn't like the previous two chapters, I decided to put this up Wendsday. Trust me when I say that this one is much better. It is actually one of my favorites, along with four, eleven, and thirteen. This chapter is also the longest. I guess that makes up for the last one.**

**PS: I received a funny review last chapter. Here it is for all others to read.**

**"Dun! Dun! DUNN!**

**[in a deep voice (you know the one)]**

**what caused the most hyperactive ninja to become motionless?  
what will Naruto find himself faced with?  
and who will probably hit him on the head?  
find out in the next exciting episode of 'most powerful duo: ultimate  
shinobi'**

**LOL (i was bored okay and i just got that feeling when i finished reading)**

**cant wait till next chap."**

**Well, here is that chapter.**

"**Visit, Part Two"**

In the area where room 151 was supposed to be, there was a large hole. There was another large hole beside it. Nervously, the pair passed through the openings. The sight before them was the strangest thing both have seen for the day. Two males wearing skin tight green clothes were floored on the ground. They were almost clones of each other, excluding age and the fact that the older one was wearing a darker green flack jacket.

A short distance from the oddly dressed males was a young teenaged girl who was glaring at the men. Her clothes were red and white with Chinese origin. Her hair was tied into two tight buns. The heavy breathing proved that she wasn't just angry, she was enraged.

In the rooms bed was another person about the same age. The facial features showed him to be a boy, despite the shoulder length hair. His irises and pupils proved that he had the Byakugan. He was staring at the scene quite emotionlessly.

Sakura faced the other female and asked the question that was on both entrants' minds. "Tenten, what happened here?"

Tenten turned towards the pink haired kunoichi with a much calmer expression then sighed.

**Contained flashback. (That means the contents of the flashback will not be revealed to the people near the one having the flashback.)**

Both Tenten and her jonin sensei walked into the hospital lobby. She then looked up at the man beside her. "Guy-sensei, I will go see Neji-san. You check on Lee-san."

Guy gave his student his thumbs up and smiled, giving off a tooth ping and a flash. Tenten had her eyes closed in preparation but forgot another sense. "YOSH, THAT IS A FINE PLAN MY YOUNG STUDENT! THE FIRES OF YOUR YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY!"

"I can't believe I forgot about that." She started to use her pinky to suction out the sudden noise. "Guy-sensei, we are in a hospital. You _really_ need to keep your voice down."

"Hai, you are right Tenten, the patients of this establishment must rest in order to rekindle the flames of their youth."

Tenten walked away, rubbing her temples in order to dull another youth headache. She headed for the receptionist desk. "Can you tell me which room Neji Hyuga is in?"

She nodded and turned through the pages in a large binder. "Neji Hyuga is in room 151. His injuries were extensive so make sure he doesn't exert himself any."

Tenten bowed slightly. "Arigato." A few moments later, she was standing in front of the room. She opened the door and peeked in to see a sleeping Neji on the bed. "He's still asleep. I should keep quiet until he wakes up. I _should_ make sure those loudmouths keep quiet too." She sighed in a depressed manner. "That will be very difficult."

A while later, she was sitting with her eyes closed, her left brow twitching erratically. "Where are they?" She took a deep breath and released her frustrations with it. "Calm down Tenten. They are probably in the middle of one of their hugging sessions. Just be glad you're not there."

She was snapped out of her musings by the last two words she wanted to here at the time. "DYNAMIC ENTRY!" The door was forced open viciously before separating from its hinges and crashing against the left wall. It looked like it would take little effort to break it completely in half from there. The person responsible for the damage turned around and took up a 'nice guy pose.' "HOW WAS THAT GUY-SENSEI?"

"IT WAS GOOD _LEE_, BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER! WATCH THIS; DYNAMIC ENTRY! The wall next to the door way blew away, allowing the entrance of the self proclaimed beautiful green beast of Konoha in all of his eye twitching glory. He faced the young clone of himself and gave him his own 'nice guy pose.' "THAT, MY YOUNG PROTÉGÉ, IS HOW YOU DISPLAY THE FLAMES OF YOUR YOUTH!"

Neji's eyes started to flutter. Lee took up an 'excited pose' with cascading tears. "Hai, Guy-sensei, I will further strive to live up to your great example." The green pair leapt for each other, winding up for a beyond creepy 'man hug,' complete with a beach, sea, and sunset backdrop. "GUY-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GUY-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

At that moment, Tenten used her fist to send the loud idiots to the ground. It was too late though as Neji was up, rubbing his bandaged forehead. Five minutes later, Naruto and Sakura showed up.

**End of Contained Flashback. (I did not come up with this scene. It came from Opposites Attract, written by xxxturkey.)**

"What happen was the usual."

Naruto and Sakura performed a sweat-drop. The blond pointed at the floored men. "Are they going to be okay?"

Tenten waved her hand dismissively. "They'll be fine in no time."

As if on cue, both Lee and Guy pushed off the floor and landed on their feet. Lee took one look at the newcomers before suddenly running the short distance between them. "Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun, how are the two of you doing this fine afternoon?"

Sakura smiled nervously. "I'm great Lee."

Naruto fox smiled. "Never better bushy-brow."

"_Ah_, it is great to see the flames of youth burn ever so brightly in all of those I call friend."

At this time, Neji chose to speak up, catching most by surprise. "Lee, will you please be quiet. I just woke up."

Lee ignored that comment and ran up to Neji, followed by giving him another 'nice guy pose.' "Good to see you awake Neji-kun. I hope that you recover quickly so we can once again begin our rivalry anew."

Neji ignored his teammate and looked at the blond. "Naruto, can you inform me to the success of the mission?" The downcast look on everyone's face gave him the answer. He mirrored the expression. "I see. It appears that Sasuke was too far into the darkness for even your eyes to pierce."

Naruto suddenly smiled his fox-smile. "Don't worry about that. I beat some sense into you, and once I'm strong enough, it's Sasuke's turn."

Neji chuckled. "Would you mind not reminding me of my loss to you?"

He took up a 'haughty pose.' "What's wrong, you a sore loser?"

"Maybe so, but I will train until I am strong enough to win our next rematch. I hope it is soon."

Guy held a fist level with his shoulder and cried cascading tears. "It warms my heart to see the flames of youth burn so brightly in out village's future."

"YOSH, it is beautiful Guy-sensei." The pair leapt for each other in another hug plus backdrop much to everyone's discomfort. The excessive hugging and repetitions of names continued uninterrupted until it was finished.

Lee stood up and gave Naruto a 'nice guy pose.' "We should get together and train sometime. Together we can fan the flames of our youth."

Naruto's expression clicked with realization. "I forgot that I won't be able to do that. I am going on a three year training trip with Ero-Jiraiya as my sensei."

Guy looked at the blond with slightly widened eyes. "Jiraiya, do you mean Jiraiya of the legendary Sannin?" The taijutsu expert's gazed became narrow. "Why do you speak of such a great man with such disrespect?"

Naruto turned his nose upward. "Humph, because his is just a big pervert."

Tenten looked at Naruto with surprise as she just composed herself from the sudden news. "You're going to be apprenticed to one of the Sannin." She held both interlocked hand in front of herself and looked up with starry eyes. "What I wouldn't give to be apprenticed to Tsunade-sama."

Sakura laughed internally at the irony. "I guess she hasn't heard the news yet."

Lee looked at Naruto inquisitively. "Naruto-kun, you said that you will depart for three years. Can you tell us when you're leaving?"

He began rubbing the back of his head. "Hai, I am leaving tomorrow."

"Nani, tomorrow. That means that we don't have much time."

Naruto blinked stupidly. "Time for what?"

"I promised Sakura-chan that you and I would spar for six hours strait."

Sakura's eye twitched. "I forgot all about that."

Naruto gave Lee a 'frustrated pose.' "_NANI_, WHAT IN THE WORLD MADE YOU THINK I WOULD GO WITH THAT CRAZY IDEA?"

"Naruto-kun, I gave Sakura-chan my word. Certainly you don't want to be responsible for me going against that because it would be quite un-youthful."

Naruto froze and shadows covered his eyes. Naruto's nindo was to never go back his word. How could he call that his nindo if he forced someone else to go back on their word. It felt like a violation of his own nindo to do so. He repeated his previous stance with a determined expression. "YOU'RE ON BUSHY-BROW! SEE YOU AT TRAINING GROUND SEVEN!"

"YOSH, TOGETHER WE WILL TEST THE FLAMES OF OUR YOUTH!"

The loud pair was about to leave in a rush before Neji's voice stopped them. "Naruto, I have something I want to ask you."

Naruto turned back to the Hyuga. "What is it Neji?"

"You came here to tell us that you were going on that training trip. Can you tell me everyone you haven't spoken to about this yet?"

Naruto took up his 'thinking pose' for a few minutes. "Well, there's Hinata and…" He looked up with surprise on his face. "I forgot Iruka-sensei."

Sakura stared at Naruto with glaring eyes. "That baka hasn't even told Hinata yet. Doesn't he realize what he means to her? I can't wait until he gets a clue because together, they look so kawaii."

**Contained Flashback.**

Sakura held her open palms over a seemingly dead red fish that was lying on top of a scroll. Her hands glowed green from medical chakra. The light started to fade from the sweating and panting girl's hands. "Had enough yet Sakura?"

Sakura looked at the opening on the left in surprise. "Tsunade-sama!"

As she walked towards Sakura, Tsunade sighed. "I thought I told you to start calling me Tsunade-sensei."

"Gomen Tsunade-sensei."

When the fish was between them, Tsunade placed one glowing green hand over the animal. A few seconds later, the fish started to flop around. She lifted up one side of the scroll to slide the fish into a nearby tank of water. She then looked at her protégé and grinned widely. "You look like you need a little pick-me-up; How about I show you something interesting involving Naruto."

Sakura's eyes became hard and narrow. "What did he do?"

"He only slept. This was just a result of a visiting friend and a sleep inducing genjutsu." Tsunade pulled a picture out of her coat and gave it to Sakura.

The med-nin in training grabbed the photo and gave it a good look. Her right hand came over her cheek as she squealed. "KAWAII, is this for real?"

"Hai, it is. I wasn't expecting it to turn out so well. I have plenty of extra photos if you want to keep that one."

"Arigato Tsunade-sensei, this is just too good not to keep."

"Good, now back to work." Tsunade left.

Sakura sighed. "She's a slave driver."

"I _heard_ that Sakura."

Sakura snapped to an erect posture before preparing the procedure again.

**End of Contained Flashback.**

Like Sakura, Neji paid special attention to the mentioning of his cousins name and gave Naruto a bit of a glare as well.

**Contained Flashback.**

The day after the invasion, Neji woke up in the hospital under the Chunin Exams stadium. Due to him resting at the time, Neji was completely unaware of what happened. The Hyuga slipped his legs off of the bed and noticed that the room was crowded with the stretchers used to transport patients, all with people on them. With a stiff body, he left the room. Out in the halls, he saw many more stretchers with people on them. "What happened here?"

Like the main hospital in the middle of the village, this one had a lobby with a receptionist. Neji approached the dark haired woman. When he stood in front of her, she looked up at him. "Hello, what can I do for you?"

Neji was emotionless. "Why are so many patients here?"

The woman's expression became shocked before switching to a hard gaze. "Oto and Suna shinobi invaded the village just yesterday and injured many civilians and some of our shinobi as well."

It was Neji's turn to be shocked. "I slept through an invasion."

She nodded. "Hai, but it is already over."

The Hyuga's expression showed self loathing. "My first chance to use my skills against enemy shinobi and I have to be out cold." He suddenly slammed a fist against the desk, surprising the woman. He then calmed himself and prepared to leave. "I have to go."

"Wait." Neji stopped and looked back at the receptionist. Before you leave, I have to check you out. Come back and give me your name."

The Hyuga did as he was told. "Neji Hyuga."

The woman began looking through her book. "_Let's_ see. Hyuga, Hyuga, Hyuga, ah, here you are." She used a pen to draw a check on the paper. "You are checked out, but before you leave, are you by chance related to Hinata Hyuga."

Neji's gaze became hateful for a second before he shook himself back to being stoic. "It was not her fault." He sighed an almost unnoticeably. "I guess it is true what they say, old habits die hard. She is my cousin. Can you tell me what she is doing here?"

"Hai, according to the records, she is here because of some severe internal injuries she received a month ago. They still weren't healed completely when she was let out of the hospital. She should be fine now thanks to one of our very skilled med-nin."

Neji froze were he stood and his pale eyes quivered, showing his despair. He then looked at the ground solemnly. "I was thinking that she was here because of the invasion, but she wasn't. I was the one who inflicted those injuries so it is my fault that she's here. The worst part is that if I heard this info just two days ago, it would have been satisfying." A slightly random thought came to his head. "Can you tell me who brought her in?"

"Hai, I was the one the man handed her to. I will never forget his face, those eyes. His eyes were one of the most beautiful things I've seen in my life. They almost glowed the same way a pool of water does when you shine light on it, but the colors were lighter. His hair was short and brown. He said that her name was Hinata Hyuga and handed a small girl to me. The next moment, he was gone. He was obviously a shinobi, but he didn't wear a headband. I then noticed a note on pined to her jacket."

Neji blinked in surprise. "What did the note say?"

The woman reached into her pocked and pulled out a folded up sheet of paper and handed it to him. "Here, I keep it with me as a good luck charm and a reminder of his eyes."

Neji took the paper and unfolded it. He then began to read to himself. 'This girl is pretty lucky. When I found her, she was on a balcony where absolutely no Konoha shinobi could see her. If I didn't show up when I did, she would have been found with an Oto kunai in her head. Luckily, I did show up, and in time to _return_ that kunai to its owner. Sincerely, Blundering Tempest.' Neji could feel his heart almost stop. "Who ever this Tempest is, he saved Hinata's life. If he had not, then I would have never had a chance to apologize to her. Without even knowing who he is, I find myself in the debt of yet another person. Can … can I see her now?"

"Hai, though I wouldn't expect much privacy. She is in room 182. Can I have that back?"

Although reluctantly, Neji nodded and handed the sheet of paper over and turned back the way he came, avoiding bumping into others along the way. When he reached the door, he opened it tentatively. Inside were five beds with people on them, but only three sat up at his entrance. Two lay back down but the other in the far back continued to shock and slight fear, causing Neji to wince. As he approached, he saw a small circular scab on Hinata's forehead. Neji felt like a hand gripped his heart. "The kunai got that close." When he reached her, he bowed low. "Gomen Hinata-sama."

Hinata looked at him with wide lavender eyes. "Neji-san never calls me sama unless Otou-san is near and he never apologizes. N-N-Neji-san."

Now Neji was down on the floor with Hinata looking down on him. "Back when we fought, my eyes were clouded in darkness that no mater how hard I tried, I couldn't see through. I could not…no… I would not see that you played no willing part in my misfortune. In truth, my father did not die by the hands of the head family, but on his own terms. Hinata-sama, I beg your forgiveness."

"N-N-Neji-san." She began twiddling her fingers nervously. "N-Neji-nii-san, I-I f-forgive you."

Neji suddenly stood up with shock. "No Hinata-sama, you need not regard me so closely."

"Bu … hai."

Neji noticed the potential argument and smiled in response. "If it pleases you, then address me however you wish."

She looked at him with a small smile and performed a quick nod. "Hai."

Neji nodded as well. "Hinata-sama, if there is anything that you would like before I leave do not hesitate to ask."

She was about to tell him not to trouble himself, but she remembered something that was nagging her in the back of her mind ever since she woke up. She looked at Neji with worry evident in her eyes. "C-can you tell me w-what h-ha-happened to Naruto-kun af-after you u-used. .. A-after you u-used E-Eight Tri-Trigrams - S-Sixty-Four P-Palms."

Neji blinked a few times. "Do you mean to say that you did not see anything past that point?"

"N-no, I bl-blacked out a-after you a-attacked."

Neji chuckled to himself. "I am sure he's fine considering he won."

Hinata looked at her cousin in shock as tears of slight joy began to form in her eyes. "N-Naruto-kun actually won. How did he d-do it?"

"She sound almost excited to hear that Naruto-san won. She _did_ sound a bit worried about him as well." Neji's eyes widened at the theory he came up with. "Hinata-sama, it may not be my place to ask this but what are your feelings towards Naruto-san?" Hinata's reddening face was all the answer Neji needed but he wanted a little more conformation. "You like him don't you?" The redder face confirmed it. Neji closed his eyes and smiled softly. "Out of everyone I know, I can think of no better choice than the first person to _earn_ my respect. I will not discourage you from your pursuit of him."

Hinata was now blood red and twiddling with her fingers furiously. "A-a-arigato Neji-nii-san."

He chuckled again. "Do you want to know how Naruto-san beat me?"

"H-hai, if it w-wouldn't be too m-much trouble."

Neji nodded. "After my attack I told Naruto-san about how he was fated to lose and was lucky to be breathing. To my surprise, he stood up with confidence in his face. He told me what a baby I was being and that he will change the Hyuga when he becomes Hokage. I told him that it was pointless to try using chakra, but he still tried. That is when I saw it. It was at first a small spark, but then his body released waves of chakra. With my Byakugan, I saw two major differences. The first was that the chakra was red, like blood. The second was that the chakra didn't behave normally. It did not look like Naruto-san had control over it. Instead, it seamed to have a mind of its own. He jumped at me and I threw some shuriken. He dodged them in a blur and appeared some distance from me. We both threw a kunai that collided with each other and flew up into the air. We then jumped up and grabbed them. We clashed our kunai together on our way down. We both slid across the ground, but Naruto created a trench along his path. He looked at me stating that he hears that I like close combat. He charged straight for me at high speed, the ground being torn apart by the force of his running and that chakra. I didn't have time to complete the Rotation as the kunai we were holding and our chakra clashed. The result was a massive explosion that plowed me into the ground. After pulling myself out, I approached Naruto-san, who was lying on the ground. After another one of my 'it's useless' speeches, my senses screamed at me to look down. The ground cracked a bit before Naruto-san shot out of the ground, literally landing an earth shattering uppercut on my chin. The match was over. He defeated me just like he vowed he would a month ago. If I remember correctly, he made that vow on your blood."

Hinata blushed as she remembered when Shino told her that after her defeat, Naruto dipped his hand into her blood and used it to make a sort of blood oath to defeat Neji. She smiled at knowing that the promise was kept. "A-arigato Neji-nii-san."

Neji smiled acceptingly. "Hai Hinata-sama."

**End of Contained Flashback.**

Neji glared at Naruto and spoke in a dark tone. "Naruto-san, make sure you speak to Hinata-sama before you depart. If you forget, I will kill you upon your return."

Naruto started to sweat and gulped. "H-hai, I won't forget Neji."

"YOSH, IT IS TIME FOR US TO SPAR NARUTO-KUN!

"HAI BUSSHY BROW, LEAD THE WAY!"

Everyone excluding Guy sweat-dropped. "He has a one-track-mind."

Eventually, Tenten, Guy, Sakura, Lee, and Naruto arrived in training field seven at around 13:00 in the after noon. Naruto, Lee, and Sakura stood in a wide triangle formation. The others were in the trees to avoid interfering. Sakura raised a hand and then chopped the air. "BEGIN!" She then joined the others in the surrounding trees.

Lee took up the Goken stance. Naruto took the initiative, charging straight for his green clad foe. The blond threw a punch that was easily deflected by Lee's fingers. Knowing the next move, Naruto leaped away from the impending sweep kick. Midair, Naruto threw some shuriken that were dodged by the back-flipping Lee. His feet back on the ground. The blond sprinted towards Lee who was back in the Goken stance. With the distance almost closed, Naruto did a light jump and performed fast frontal summersaults. Caught completely off guard by the very unorthodox maneuver, Lee only had a chance to block the ax kick to his head before Naruto used that leg to leap away. "That was a good move Naruto-kun."

"Arigato Bushy Brow, I just made it up."

"YOSH, THE FLAMES OF YOUR YOUTH DO INDEED BURN BRIGHTLY! LET US CONTINUE, LEAF HURRICANE!" Lee leapt forward, spinning with a leg extended. Naruto jumped up, elevating himself far above the taijutsu specialist. Lee hit the ground in a slow spin and then jumped up to his blond foe. Naruto only saw this in time to cross his arms in front of his sternum.

With the way Naruto jumped, his back was to the ground. Lee sent a right jab that passed under the blonde's crossed arms and sent him plummeting to the ground. When he hit, a puff of dust rose around him. By time Naruto stood back up, Lee was back on his fee, confidently in the Goken stance. Naruto looked at him incredulously. "You can hit harder than that Bushy Brow. Why are you holding back against me?"

Lee spoke seriously. "Gomen Naruto-kun, I unfortunately have yet to recover to full heath and am therefore not at one-hundred percent."

Naruto smirked. "I guess that means I shouldn't use clones." Lee smirked as well. The pair charged for each other.

* * *

**Finally, this is all of the prewritten chapters. Now I have to start creating new ideas. (Yes people, on the day that I posted the first chapter, I have prewritten this much of the story.) This chapter is now the longest one and one of the more entertaining ones too. The next chapter is the one I have been waiting to write for months and is even better.**

**Next chapter: Arashi's Plans.**


	20. Arashi's Plans: Chapter 20

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." On the way to visit Neji, Naruto and Sakura see a few holes in the sides of his room. They ask Tenten, the only one present, what happened. She has a flashback about the event. She and Guy visit Neji and Lee respectively. She finds Neji asleep and waits. Guy and Lee both decide to enter with Dynamic Entry, for which Tenten hits them. After this flashback, Naruto tells them about his trip, leading to Lee asking him for a spar. Before the group left, Neji asked who Naruto hasn't told. He says Hinata and Iruka. Sakura has a flashback about Tsunade giving her a picture of Naruto and Hinata sleeping together. Neji has a flashback about waking up after the invasion. He remembers a note stating that Hinata could have died without the note's author being present. Neji then heads off to Hinata's room and apologizes to her. This eventually leads up to her revealing her crush. Neji recites to Hinata the events of the match. With the flashback over, Neji tells Naruto that he will kill him if he forgets Hinata. After that, Naruto and Lee head off to their spar.)

* * *

**I am wondering, how many of you checked out the chapter released Wednesday. I may start releasing chapters early should I feel like doing so. The main reason I go through the trouble of summarizing each chapter in the next one is because someone might miss a chapter.**

"**Arashi's Plans"**

Three hours after the spar between Naruto and Lee began, a single figure waited in an alleyway near the Hokage's tower. He had short hair and shimmering blue eyes; it was Arashi. His hands became a cross shape. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." A copy of the man appeared in an instant before disappearing again. Arashi then walked out of the alley and towards the Hokage tower. He entered and walked straight for the receptionist. "Hello miss, I have an appointment with Hokage-sama for this time."

The woman looked at him seriously. "Gomen, but Hokage-sama told me to cancel her appointments. I can pencil you in for tomorrow though. Will that be okay?"

Arashi gave the woman a gaze that made her flinch horribly. "No it won't. I must meet with her today. I don't know who she is talking to or what she is doing, but I will see her."

He was already half way to the stairs before she regained her senses. "Wait, you're not allowed to do that." Arashi completely ignored the woman. She reached for a small radio device that is connected directly to the chunin guards stationed in front of the Hokage's office. "Code thirteen; I repeat, code thirteen."

As he walked up the stairs, an influx of memories hit Arashi. The disguised shadow clone he had watching Kurenai just finished telling her to come to the Hokage's office. Arashi chuckled loudly. "Good thing no one could see my clone's face. Those women at the hot springs would have started a literal man hut if they could. I bet Kurenai-chan is very pissed at me considering my clone decided to feel out her bare breast. That purple haired woman didn't hesitate to destroy my clone after that, and with a snake bite to the neck." He chuckled again at his thoughts. "Too bad she's not my type because she has a great body."

The man walked into the halls that would lead him to the Hokage's office. Just when the door came into view, a pair of chunin blocked his path. "Halt, leave now and we won't hurt you."

Arashi smirked at them as he continued walking. "I would like to see you try." One of the chunin dashed forward with a battle cry. He then sent a punch for Arashi's face. Arashi used his hand to deflect the fist to his right. Before the chunin could react, he found the same hand heading for his face. Hitting the man solidly with the back of his wrist, Arashi knocked him unconscious. The other chunin charged forward. He noticed the hand seals Arashi was forming when only a foot separated them. "Lightning Style, Taser." Arashi quickly grabbed the man's throat. The chunin tried to scream out, but his voice box was paralyzed. Arashi then threw the unconscious man next to his comrade. "That was easy."

He walked forward and opened the large double doors. The sight before him made his eyes twitch. "This is what my appointment was canceled for." Tsunade, the fifth Hokage, was asleep on her desk with drool coming out of her mouth. Arashi took a deep breath. "Calm down Arashi, you don't get annoyed. You do the annoying." He walked forward and began poking Tsunade on the diamond on her forehead. Each poke was more forceful than the last.

The woman suddenly sat up and launched a punch at the one who woke her. She was surprised and rendered alert when she found that her fist connected with nothing. She opened her golden eyes to see Arashi who twisted just in time to dodge the punch. "Who are you?"

"I apologize for waking a sleeping beauty from her rest but I must speak with you."

The tiniest bit of pink graced her cheeks before she gave the man a hard gaze. "You have not answered my question."

"I guess I shouldn't have expected to be able to make a fifty year old blush very much. My name is Arashi Ayama. I am here to apply for a _special _mission."

The doors burst open. Both of the room's occupants turned to face the entrant. It was none other than the Genjutsu mistress of Konoha. She took notice of the male in the room. "IT WAS YOU!"

"Hello Kurenai-chan."

"DON'T YOU KURENAI-CHAN ME!"

"Now, now Kurenai-chan, temper your temper. You are in the presence of your Hokage."

Kurenai blinked a bit and bowed. "Gomen Hokage-sama, how rude of me."

Tsunade's eyes started twitching. "What is going on here?"

"Hai Kurenai-chan, Tsunade here is still in the dark on the situation. It would be best for you to remain quiet until then." She glared at him full force but was ignored nether-less. "Let's get back to business eh Tsunade."

The woman looked at Arashi seriously. "I would prefer that you call me by my proper title."

"Ah, gomen … _Legendary Sucker_."

If the words alone weren't enough, the condescending tone the man used really ticked her off. "This guy has a lot of guts to address me that way." Her expression became serious. "Then again, he did dodge my punch. Let's just get back to business."

Arashi chuckled. "Hai, as I said before, I would like to apply for a special mission. You see, I come from a clan that specializes in training others. Because of this, I have an inbred desire to have an apprentice. I would like to _hire _one of your genin to travel with me for a select amount of time. This will be a paid mission, and the genin's time will be spent being trained by me."

Tsunade became very intrigued. "He just said that he will pay the village to be able to train one of its shinobi. Alright, your proposal does sound interesting." She turned to face Kurenai. "Would you please leave Kurenai-san?"

"No, no Tsunade, her departure is not necessary considering that this does affect her as well."

Kurenai released a small sigh of relief at not having to leave. Tsunade turned back to Arashi and nodded. "I am guessing this is because the genin you wish to train is one of her students. Is it Shino or Kiba?"

"Neither, it is Hinata."

Tsunade started giving him a hard gaze. "Gomen, but I won't allow this."

"And why is that. Is it because I am a male and she is a female. I am certain that if I were of a different gender, you would have no qualms about giving me any student I desire. What is with the double standard? Don't try to deny it because you know it's true."

Now Tsunade glared at him. "Regardless of whether it is true or not, I will not allow it. I will not allow one of our kunoichi to be in that kind of potential situation."

Arashi's eyes started twitching before he heaved a sigh. "Ladies, if I wanted to rape the girl, I would have done it weeks ago. Do you know that at night, she trains on a surface of water in the nude until she is so exhausted that even a teenaged civilian could overpower her? If that isn't the perfect conditions for rape, I don't know what is."

Both women looked at him in surprise. "That is what he meant on that day he first talked to me about training Hinata."

Tsunade returned to glaring to him. "Who's to say that you aren't waiting for her to grow up and mature?"

"Ah, good point. From what I have seen, she has a fine body for her age, and it will only get better. Regardless, she is too young for my taste. Honestly, the idea of doing that with a teenager makes my skin crawl a little. Of course teasing is fair game."

"Like I would trust you with that; you groped me twice."

Arashi chuckled. "Actually Kurenai-chan, I groped you a third time while you were sleeping."

Both women responded at the same time. "_NANI_?"

He started laughing. "I knew you would … fall for that." He calmed himself but still had mirth in his voice. "Seriously, I would never do that to a female if she was asleep. If I did, I wouldn't be able to see her reaction." He resumed laughing loudly. A kunai's tip was suddenly found in Arashi's fingers. "Now, now Kurenai-chan, it would be best to calm down."

"WILL YOU STOP CALLING ME THAT?"

Tsunade looked at the scene with a calculating gaze. "He was laughing loudly and had his eyes closed when he caught that kunai. It should have connected. He could not see it or hear it. The only living people I know that can achieve this under the same conditions other than this man are Orochimaru and Jiraiya. Could this mean that he is just as strong? ENOUGH; I believe that you have had enough fun Arashi-san."

He gave the Hokage a sidelong glance with a small pout on his lips. "Fine, I guess that I can save it until business is concluded."

"Good, now I am sure that we can both benefit from allowing you your apprentice, but it cannot be one of our kunoichi. One of our male shinobi should be enough to satisfy your desire to have a student."

"No Tsunade. When I came into this village about five years ago, I decided that the first year students of that year will be the group I chose from. Ironically enough, that group turns out to be The Rookie Nine. Out of those nine, I can only see two as my student. The other is taken. Hinata is my only choice and I will take no other."

"Well Arashi-san, you are in no real position to make demands on who you train. I alone have the authority on who goes on what mission. The right to choose a shinobi cost one-hundred and ten percent the original price."

"I intend to pay four-thirds original price. Not only that, but I will pay in full up front. As a bonus, I will also become a shinobi of this village." Tsunade's eyes widened considerably. "You know full well that you are not in much of a position to refuse me now. As the Hokage, it is your job to see to the village as a whole, not to the individual. With the recent war, Konoha is in serious need of funds. Military strength is also reduced thanks to the loss of a good number of your shinobi. I am offering you a substantial amount of funds and an increase in the village's military strength. Did I forget to mention that I have a kekkei genkai? It's a doujutsu to be specific."

Both women's eyes widened unimaginably. "D-d-doujutsu."

Tsunade gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. "He's got me where he wants me. If he went to the council with this, there is no way he would be refused. He set up the conditions for this mission specifically to benefit Konoha greatly. Even if we don't get Hinata back or a new ninja, the additional payment would make up for it in their eyes. Fine, I may consider this, as long as you explain why it has to be Hinata that you train."

"No Hokage-sama, you can't be seriously considering this." A raised hand stopped her.

"Even when I first took a look at my potential candidates, she was the one who captured my interest. The majority of my time was spent watching her. The more I learned about her, the more interested I became. Of course, I did keep my options open. I have only recently decided that Hinata had to be my apprentice. I made this decision when I saw her working on creating her own original jutsu." Kurenai's eyes widened again. "It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. That jutsu has so much potential. I am probably on of the only people who can bring out that potential. I doubt that the Hyuga clan or a genjutsu specialist can come even close to what I can do with it."

Kurenai glared at the man but could not deny the truth in his words. Tsunade looked at Kurenai seriously. "Kurenai-san, does this jutsu Arashi speaks of exist."

Even though telling the truth could only further Arashi's attempts at taking Hinata from her, Kurenai could not lie to the Hokage. "Hai, it does. Hinata calls it Protective Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms."

"Tell me Kurenai-san, is the jutsu all Arashi-san makes it out to be."

"I d-don't know, but I can tell you that this jutsu is strong enough to turn a kunai into scrap metal."

Tsunade looked surprised for a second before turning back to Arashi. "Tell me Arashi-san, what makes you think that you can bring out the potential of this jutsu."

"I am sure that you remember that I have a doujutsu." Both women nodded. "It is called the Keikigan. **There are quite a few translations for Keiki, so I will tell you that it means gauge in my story.** This doujutsu is a very important aspect in my clan's ability to train others. It allows us to precisely gauge chakra. I can tell how much chakra is in a jutsu, how concentrated that chakra is, and if any chakra is being wasted. I am proficient enough that I can actually put a number to how much chakra a jutsu uses. After seeing a jutsu once, I can pick out every detail."

"This is an impressive doujutsu. Konoha could defiantly benefit from it. Tell me, can you tell how much chakra is in my hand." She held her hand up and it started glowing green.

Arashi spoke without hesitation. "32.57 units of chakra; It would require 27.39 units of chakra to get the same effect with perfect control. I expected a medical specialist of your caliber to have better control than that."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "I-I was intentionally using bad control."

"Well that's good. If someone with control like that tried to become a med-nin, they would kill more patients then they would save."

Tsunade glared at the man. "Don't you think that I already know that?" Her eyes wavered in emotional turmoil, forcing her to close them. They opened later into a serious expression. "We have learned a lot about your abilities and I have to accept that you would be a great asset to this village and to anyone you train. The problem is that we know absolutely nothing about your past, about what kind of person you are, and how you intend to pay for the mission. You have also neglected to tell us the details of your mission."

Kurenai looked at this with trembling eyes. "Tsunade-sama is actually contemplating this."

"If you don't mind, I will answer these questions in reverse." Tsunade nodded. "I have been hearing about one of your young shinobi going on a three year training trip. The concept of this sounds very interesting to me. I plan on paying for the mission with money I have sealed away. I spend it very frugally and have saved it over fourteen years. As for who I am, I love making women blush or angry. It helps that it is ridiculously easy as well." Both women growled at him. "As a side project, I am a tailor. This is where a fair amount of my money comes from."

Tsunade blinked stupidly as something clicked in her head. "You're a tailor? Tell me, are you the same tailor that repaired Naruto's jumpsuit."

"If you are talking about that orange monstrosity, hai, that was me."

Tsunade blinked a few more times before going into a "thoughtful pose.' "Hinata did tell me that the tailor that repaired Naruto's jacket was going to close shop." Her eyes widened. "Did you plan on meeting Hinata that way?"

Arashi laughed nervously. Truthfully, no, I was quite surprised when I saw her walking up to my store. It was just a coincidence."

"Okay back to business." Tsunade looked at him with complete seriousness. "You have yet to tell us about your past.

"Hai; it all started when _he _met with my clan about taking an apprentice."** I am keeping Arashi's past secret for now.**

**What you need to know is that Arashi did not say who trained him until the end.** An hour later, Arashi was finished explaining his past even with the interruption of the chunin from before. Both women were trembling horribly. The fifty-year-old and battle hardened kunoichi trembled far more viciously than the other. "W-w-was he truly y-your shishō?" **Shishō is the word for master. More specifically, when a master that takes on an apprentice.**

"Hai, he is Tsunade." The man gave Tsunade a stare more serious then ever before. "As I said before, I will have Hinata as my apprentice; even if I have to use force. I assure you that she will be returned in three years regardless of how she comes with me. It is up to you whether or not your village benefits financially and militarily from this."

Tsunade clenched her fists to calm down. "Fine, I will accept your terms."

"TSUNADE-SAMA, NO!"

"KURENAI-SAN, I have no choice. Should he take Hinata by force, nothing short of both Jiraiya and I even have a chance of bringing her back. Sending anyone else would just result in loses for our village. Jiraiya will be busy training Naruto and I have to stay in the village. If we try and stop him here, it would just result in massive destruction. I don't like as much as you, but he is being very reasonable. All shinobi are aware of what can happen on missions. We only have his word to go on."

Arashi took up an 'informative pose.' "That is necessarily not true." Both looked at him is slight surprise. "Hinata could write mission reports that can be sent to the village about her progress. This way, you can make sure that she is alive and well."

Their jaws dropped. Tsunade was the first to start glaring at the man. "Why didn't you say that in the beginning?"

Arashi took up a 'sheepish pose.' "Because, I just thought it up."

Tsunade and Kurenai did a half face-fault. "I guess that makes things better. If we can receive monthly reports on Hinata's status, then we can be more at ease about how well she is doing. When would you like this mission to begin?"

Arashi took up a 'thoughtful pose.' "I would like to leave soon after Naruto does. I think it would be a good idea to collect everyone Hinata is close to at the village gate. This way, she can say goodbye all at once."

Tsunade contemplated the idea. "That is a good idea." She turned towards Kurenai. "Do you think you can set this up? We can disguise it as giving Naruto one final farewell."

"Hai Tsunade-sama. There is no way I can stop this so I might as well make it easier on her."

"Good, you do that Kurenai-chan." She glared at him. Without warning, Arashi disappeared and reappeared in front of Tsunade's desk. He was bent over so his face was about four inches from her melons. Both women were shocked by his audacity. Arashi stood up. "Like any other guy, I like a woman with a fair sized chest, but you look like you can send a man flying just by turning around. I have wanted to say that ever since I saw this woman."

**Insert long uncomfortable silence.** Tsunade leapt forward with nothing but her own rage registering in her mind. A massive amount of chakra was flaring in her fist. Out of all the actions she expected Arashi to take, she didn't expect him to allow the fist to connect solidly to his face. What surprised her about this is that the full power of her punch had no effect on the man. He stood there as if he was punched by a genin. Her golden brown eyes fixed themselves upon Arashi's serious **_hazel_** orbs.

* * *

**That looked like a good place to leave off. If I continued, the chapter would have reached the four thousands in words. Chapters do seem to be getting a bit longer. I didn't see any mistakes through the read through. This could mean that I didn't make many, or I wasn't paying attention.**

**Next Chapter: The Hyuga**


	21. The Hyuga: Chapter 21

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." As Naruto and Lee spared, Arashi walked into the Hokage tower. The receptionist told him that his appointment was canceled, but he went ahead regardless. He received memories from a hot spring encounter with Kurenai from a prepared clone. He quickly dispatches two chunin and walks into Tsunade's office to find her sleeping. He wakes her and dodges a punch. Just as they began negotiations, Kurenai barges in. Arashi asks Tsunade to allow him to _hire_ Hinata to be his apprentice. They try to refuse based on his gender, but he makes point after point on why they should allow it. Eventually, he wins. He then leans right up to Tsunade's bust then comments on how they are too big. She punches him in the face with all the power she could use. He stood unmoving as if nothing happened.)

* * *

**I hope people enjoyed the last chapter as much as I did. I am sure that you are getting a better idea on how strong Arashi is.**

"**The Hyuga"**

Tsunade trembled in shock. "H-how?" She looked down and noticed his hands in the horse hand seal. "What did he do? Did he harden his body? No, he still would have flown back and his face would have felt harder. Even if he attached himself to the floor, he still would have been sent back." She took a closer look at his eyes in search for some kind of answer. "Wait, weren't his eyes blue. Now they're hazel."

"I am sure that you want to know why I wasn't killed or sent flying by your punch." He took notice of both their nods. "That is the effects of one of my original ninjutsu, Chakra Screen Jutsu. It works by forcing any living body to have normal chakra flow. It covers a specific area around the user. I can extend its range anytime I wish, but it is usually at arms length. I could go into a large number of other details, but that would waste time. Now would you kindly remove your fist from my face?"

Tsunade glared at him but did as told. "Tell me, does this jutsu affect the user."

Arashi nodded. "Hai, it does, unless I put up a special barrier to protect me from those effects." He smirked at her. "I think this is just more reason to accept my terms. Enemies to this village would kill to have that jutsu. A large number of this village's most powerful shinobi rely on jutsu that my Chakra Screen Jutsu can easily negate."

Tsunade trembled. "I am nothing more than a strong chunin against this man. He could defeat me without breaking a sweat."

Kurenai looked at him and took notice of his eyes. "Arashi, what happened to your eyes?"

He chuckled at the question. "Those with the Keikigan have two eye colors. The first is the one they are born with. The second is a lighter shade of blue that shimmers. The second appearance shows that the doujutsu is active. Because of my Chakra Screen Jutsu, my Keikigan was deactivated." Arashi closed his eyes and reopened them to reveal his previous eye color. "My business is through here so I will take my leave. I have other things to do."

As he walked to the door, it suddenly opened. Through it came Tsunade's assistant, Shizune. "It's time to wake up Tsunade-sama." She stopped when she caught sight of Arashi's eyes. "H-hello." She had a very slight blush on her face.

"I am _not_ going to pass this up." He bowed slightly while maintaining eye contact. "Hello to you as well, it is a fine day when a man finds himself surrounded by exquisite flowers, but you truly stand out. Few can compare to the beauty that you possess. Would you care to grace me with your name?" He stood up strait.

Shizune was now about three shades from a Hinata blush. "Sh-Sh-Shizune."

"Arigato Shizune-chan, my name is Arashi Ayama. If you'll excuse me, I have business I must attend to. I am afraid that I can no longer bask in your presence." He walked past the statue that was Shizune on his way out of the building.

Kurenai stared at the scene feeling a bit of déjà vu. "He is good. Just like with me, he managed to ask and receive Shizune's name without first giving his own. It won't be very difficult for him to find someone to restore his clan with."

Shizune's mind went down a different yet similar path. "Both Kurenai-chan and Tsunade-sama are here. Why would anyone say I'm the beautiful one?"

**Back with Arashi.**

"Although it is very unnecessary, I just have to tell the Hyuga clan about this. It will be very fun making a whole clan feel completely inadequate. It would be a great way of getting them back for Hinata." He suddenly leapt up to the roofs to the surprise of a few that were around him. With expert timing and movement, he managed to avoid being seen by shinobi. He quickly reached the Hyuga compound. Using speed only attained by one other in the village, he searched the compound for the clan head. He found the man in a main house building with clan elders. He quickly charged for the door and used a pressure point to temporarily knock out the branch guard. "A clan meeting; this is perfect. It looks like it just began too."

The oldest of the elders looked at Hiashi seriously. "Hiashi, what will be done about your daughter? She has yet to show herself worthy of the title of clan head. Even if you say that Hinata has improved, Hanabi still shows far more potential."

Hiashi nodded. "Hai, I must agree."

"I propose one final test fight between the pair. Instead of being base on the victor, the winner will be decided on a point system. Because of her greater age and experience, Hinata will automatically be deducted points. This will ensure that the heiress with the greatest _potential_ is chosen. The other will be placed in the branch family for the remainder of her days."

Hiashi closed his eyes in contemplation. "That will do. I suggest that we schedule the match for the next week."

In his hiding place, Arashi smirked. "I guess that's my cue." He knelt down and pressed a point on the branch Hyuga that would rouse him. He walked in, surprising all the Hyuga there. "Gomen, but that won't be possible."

The Hyuga elder stood up and slammed his fist on the desk. "What is the meaning of this? How did you get in here?"

"It was fairly easy to tell the truth; not that I expected doing so to be much of a challenge."

The guard appeared at the door way. "Guard, remove him."

The man snapped out of his daze and activated his Byakugan. He could see a very thin haze of chakra surrounding the area around Arashi and a thicker haze forming a second skin, but thought nothing of it. He charged forward, aiming for a point that would kill instantly. Arashi didn't move an inch, even when the attack connected. All the Hyuga were shocked by this. The branch member launched continuous attacks. During one of them, he realized that no matter how hard he tried, he could not send chakra to his hands. Arashi dipped to his right and used his left hand to bring the attacking arm farther forward. He then struck the man in the sternum with his elbow. This sent him back to the land of unconsciousness. Arashi stood back up and gave the men before him a confident smirk. "Like I said, not much of a challenge."

The Hyuga excluding Hiashi and his father were trembling slightly. "What were your insinuations when you said 'that won't be possible?'"

"Ah, strait to the point Hiashi-san; I like that. I am saying that you will not be able to have Hinata and Hanabi fight in the next week simply because Hinata will be out of the village, with me. I plan on taking her tomorrow."

The Hyuga elder glared at him with an activated Byakugan. "You have a lot of nerve to enter the Hyuga clan home and make such an announcement. Certainly you don't think you can get away with it. You may have defeated one, but can you handle an entire clan."

Arashi chuckled at these words. "Send as many Hyuga as you want at me. They will just be lambs to the slaughter. I alone have enough power to destroy this clan. You would be true baka to challenge me."

"How dare you underestimate the Hyuga clan? We are the most powerful clan in Konoha. You wouldn't last but a few seconds against our forces."

Arashi grabbed the upper portions of his windbreaker and flicked it so the hood would come up over his head. He then disappeared and reappeared in front of the elder to everyone's surprise. He looked down at the Hyuga with a glare. Normally, those blue eyes create a calming effect on those who see them, but when those eyes could only be seen through the shadows of Arashi's hood, they could only be called terrifying. "Let me make this very clear _Hyuga;_ I do not underestimate my enemies. With a single glance, I can formulate a very good guess on how strong that person is and how strong they can be. I have far more information than necessary on this clan to wipe it off the face of the earth. It is you who underestimates me."

Arashi instantly returned to his original spot with is hood back down. Hiashi was the first to recover. "What is your intent with my daughter?"

"Strait to the point yet again Hiashi-san; I think I am felling a bit of respect for you. As for my intent, I am taking Hinata away from the village to have as my apprentice. She shall be returned after three years."

The elder composed himself. "What makes you think that you are worthy to train the heiress to this clan?"

Arashi chuckled. "I am sure that you know that a strong teacher will have strong students."

Hiashi nodded. "Hai, do you intend to tell us who your sensei was."

"He was not my sensei. He was my shishō, but I do intend to tell you who he was. Does the name Hanzō sound familiar to any of you?" He took note of all their expressions. "I take your lack of reactions as a no. Hanzō is the leader of Amegakure. He was present in the second great shinobi war. The main reason he didn't become famous was from the fact that he only once left his opponents alive. A small group of Konoha shinobi had to fight him once before. He killed all of them except for a select few. He fought the group while outnumbered. He still turned out victorious, but was impressed at the group's strength so much that he decided to spare them under one condition. From that day forward, that group went by the title, 'The Legendary Sannin.'"

The elder trembled in shock along with the rest. "Your shishō defeated The Legendary Sannin."

"No, he defeated Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. He then named them as The Legendary Sannin." He began to leave the room. He stopped at the door. "Let me make this clear. My plans for the future are partially dependent on Hinata-chan's well being. Should I find the curse seal upon her forehead, I will make sure that it can't be used against her by wiping out every member of the head family. You have been warned. One last little thing to do." He disappeared, leaving a group of trembling and angry Hyuga behind. **That has to be emasculating.**

**Back with Naruto and Lee, just under six hours into their match. You guys really didn't expect me to write six hours worth of fighting.**

Both Naruto and Lee showed the exhaustion of fighting for such a long period of time. Naruto looked a lot more beat up, but was standing no less strongly than his foe. Lee looked towards the sun and then back to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, I believe that it is time this match ends."

"Bring it on Bushy Brow." The taijutsu specialist nodded and crossed his arms. Chakra began to swirl around him. "Man, this is what he did against Gaara."

"Gate of Opening, Open."

Lee disappeared and began circling Naruto. The blond began to look side to side to follow Lee's movement. This proves unsuccessful. "I got to figure a way out of this and fast." His expression changed slightly when an idea hit him. Using two hands, he formed a Rasengan. "Here goes nothing." Naruto did a small leap and then drove his attack into the ground. "RASENGAN!" The attack caused the ground to break apart and fly out. One fairly large chunk of rock wound up in front of Lee's leg. The result was for him to trip over it and tumble forward into a tree. Naruto saw this and started hopping up and down in joy. "I DID IT, I BEAT BUSHY BROW!"

In the next moment, Naruto found Lee running after him. Before he knew it, one of his own kunai was against his neck. "Naruto-kun, you would have won if you took the chance to restrain me. Because you did not, I am the victor."

Naruto sighed as Lee released him and then turned to face him. "Yeah, I guess you got me there Bushy Brow. Next time, I won't make it easy."

Lee gave Naruto a 'nice guy pose.' "Hai, I too will make the next match no less difficult."

Naruto's stomach decided at this time to make itself known. Naruto took up a 'sheepish pose.' "It has been a while since I last ate."

"YOSH, then I shall join you for dinner Naruto-kun."

Guy appeared before them, surprising Naruto but not Lee. "A fine idea as usual my protégé. Let us all join you for the youthful occasion."

"You are right Guy-sensei; we must not leave the others out of this."

The tears began to flow in their eyes. "YOSH, nothing makes me happier than having a student who so fully understands the flames of youth."

"GUY-SENSEI!" They leapt for each other.

"LEE!" The hug connected and went uninterrupted yet again.

Now grouped together in one line; Naruto, Tenten, and Sakura all sweat-dropped. "Most would think that I would be used to this by now." The group went to where any meal out with Naruto leads too; Ichiraku Ramen. Each one ordered their own meal and began talking with each other. "Naruto, your training has to be going well to be able to do so well against Lee."

He took up a 'boastful pose.' "You got that right Tenten. I have been training my butt off."

"Well that's good, because you are going to need all you can get when I get a hold on you."

Everyone turned around to face the obnoxious voice. "Well if it isn't Ero-sennin. Where have _you_ been?"

"Whoa, no need to get testy Naruto; I was just making sure to catch up on as much research as possible. I need to protect myself from Tsunade-hime somehow. If I don't take Naruto's training seriously, she's going to kill me. I needed to get in as much research as possible."

"Hump research, more like peeping in the bath houses."

Jiraiya took a deep breath. "Whatever, I am just here to tell you that we are leaving at noon tomorrow out of the west gate. Don't be late Gaki." Jiraiya turned around and left.

Ayame smiled at this. "Do you think you can come in for one last goodbye Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded. "Hai."

Lee stood up from his chair and gave her a 'nice guy pose.' "Yosh, you have given me a fine idea Ayame-san. We should all gather at the gate tomorrow go give Naruto-kun one final farewell."

"I _like_ it. We must give Naruto-kun the most youthful farewell we can possibly give."

"HAI GUY-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

Sakura punched them both before the hugs could connect. "Twice in one day is more than enough."

"You try being on the same team as them." Sakura shuddered at the thought.

"GUY-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

They all made the mistake of looking at the pair. All three decided to leave and go their own ways. On his way home, Naruto thought about the two people he hasn't talked to about his trip. "Iruka-sensei is probably at his house, and I don't know where that is. The same probably goes for Hinata too. I have to wait until tomorrow to see them." He growled in annoyance until a rather simple idea hit him. "I know, I'll just get a new alarm clock and wake up early enough to see both." He went to the store he usually bought his alarm clocks, and purchased one. He then went home with it. He first set it for the current time, which was 19:34. He then set the alarm's time for 7:00 in the morning. He set it on a night stand next to his bed. In the time it took for him to be ready for bed, it was 19:57. He hit the sheets and was out like a light.

* * *

**As some of you probably guessed, the next chapter is when Naruto and Hinata finally meet up. It is also when the first part of my story ends, and the second part begins. Did I tell you that I originally intended for the first part to be two chapters long. I was 20 chapters off from how it really turned out; 19 if you don't count the prologue. I have a bunch of other ideas for the second part as well. Most will put Hinata in uncomfortable situations or make her very happy. More of the former though.  
**

**Next Chapter: Departure.**


	22. Departure: Chapter 22

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." After explaining why Tsunade's punch did him no damage, Arashi prepared to leave the room. He bumped into Shizune along the way. Not passing up the chance, he used his charm to bring her to a bright blush before introducing himself. He then went over to the Hyuga compound. Hiashi and the clan elders were thinking about what to do with Hinata. Arashi barges in on them and then defeats the same Hyuga for the second time. He spends his time there intimidating them and telling them about his training trip with Hinata. He also reveals Hanzō as his previous shishō. He leaves them with one final warning. Back with Naruto and Lee, they finish the spar with their best jutsu. Lee wins because of Naruto's foul up. They then go to eat at Ichiraku. While there, Jiraiya shows up and tells Naruto that they leave at noon. Naruto gets a new alarm clock. He sets the alarm time and the current time then goes to sleep.)

* * *

**This story has been going for about three months and a half. Not only that, but there are a lot more chapters to go. I don't even want to think about the sequels, except for the events in them. (Soundless steps snickers at his own genius.) I have a lot of surprises planed for the sequels.**

**Also, I wonder why I only got two reviews for the previous chapter. Can I have a little bit more love this time around.**

"**Departure"**

Hinata woke up this morning with massive amounts of dread in her heart. "Today is the day. If I don't see Naruto-kun today, I won't see him for three years." She frowned at that thought. Hinata slipped out of bed and dressed into her normal clothes. She went to the dinning room for a quick breakfast and then left the compound.

She started running through the village in search of Naruto. The Hyuga looked side to side with her Byakugan focused in the directions she was looking towards instead of the 360 degree field of vision. It has been at least an hour of running before a sudden voice surprised her. "WHAT YOU RUNNING FOR HINATA-CHAN?"

She jumped away from the voice in fright and placed her hand over her breast. She looked at the man in front of her in surprised. "A-A-Arashi-san, w-what are y-you doing here?"

Arashi was bent over and laughing to hard to respond. It was actually starting to irritate Hinata until he finally stopped. "I was looking for you so I can give you this." He held out a fairly large box to Hinata.

She reached out and took it. "W-what is it?"

Arashi frowned at her. "That hurts Hinata-chan. You already forgot that I made that as a present to give your sweet beloved."

She blushed brightly from those words. "A-arigato."

Arashi laughed. "No need to thank me. I wanted to do it, if only to get a chance to make you blush again. I am going to have a lot more chances in the future. She doesn't look like the type to get used to it very quickly." Arashi walked away and gave her a backhanded wave. "I have to get ready for this afternoon; ja ne Hinata-chan."

She blinked at him in confusion as her blush faded. Hinata continued walking through the village.

**With Naruto at a later time.**

Naruto groggily sat up and looked at his new clock. It clearly read 10:12. It took until that twelve became a thirteen before it registered in his mind. He reached out for the clock and looked it over franticly. When he came to the controls section, he noticed what went wrong. "I FORGOT TO SWITCH THE ALARM _ON._" He sounded like a hurricane as he prepared for the day as fast as possible. A few seconds later, a dust cloud could be seen heading strait for the ninja academy.

He barged through the doors of the building and of the room he was most familiar with. He unfortunately found an unrecognizable man in Iruka's usual spot. "WHERE'S IRUKA-SENSEI?"

The chunin blinked stupidly for a few seconds. "Iruka-san is taking the day off today and asked me to fill in. He also said that if a loud orange kid came in here, I should tell him Ichiraku."

"ARIGATO!" He was off in a dust cloud.

One kid cupped his hand to whisper to a neighbor. "Wow, he's fast."

Konohamaru, being close enough to hear, reacted. "Of course he's fast; he's my boss."

Naruto raced to his favorite ramen stand and arrived huffing and puffing. "10:30; you're right on time Naruto."

Naruto caught his breath and looked up at the tan man with a scare across his nose. "What do you mean? I woke up late, didn't I Iruka-sensei."

"That is true Naruto, but I have been your sensei for four years. I know you better than you know yourself; now how about I buy you some ramen."

Naruto was about to growl in annoyance, but those words stopped the action in its tracks. "ALL RIGHT, ARIGATO IRUKA-SENSEI!"

Iruka chuckled and took a seat, followed by Naruto. Both of them placed their orders. "So, Naruto, what's this I hear about a three year training trip?"

"Oh, so you heard about that? Ero-sennin is going to be training me. I just hope he doesn't waist my time with his research."

"Naruto, if you keep calling such important and powerful people by names like that, you are going to wind up in a lot of trouble." Naruto just gave him a confused look. Iruka sighed. "Naruto, Hokage-sama and Jiraiya-sama don't enjoy being insulted on a daily basis. Even so, they are very tolerant with you. Sooner or later, you are going to meet someone who can't and won't put up with it. That kind of thing can get you killed."

Naruto tilted his head up and snorted. "I don't care. All those perverts and old geezers can suck it up for all I care. I don't go back on my word; that is my nindo, my ninja way."

Iruka smiled and shook his head. "I guess there is no point in trying right now. Naruto, have you told everyone you have to about your trip. You are leaving in an hour and fifteen minutes."

Naruto stopped mid-bite in his third bowl of ramen. He became frantic. "OH NO, NEJI'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

He bolted away, leaving a smirking Iruka. "Just as I thought." He took a look at Naruto's bowl and chuckled. "Oh well, more ramen for me."

"I GOT TO FIND HINATA FAST!" His balled hand came upon the palm of his other hand as an idea hit him. Unfortunately, while his mind was occupied with this idea, a water tank occupied the space in front of him. He realized the impending crash a quarter of a second before it happened. "Ita, I have to watch where I'm going." After rubbing the soreness away, he formed his favorite hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Twenty-four clones fazed into existence and spread out in that instant.

**Back with Hinata.**

"Where is he? If I don't find him soon, I will have to wait three years to see him again." After placing the box on the ground, she began forming hand seals. "Byakugan." She didn't expect to see Naruto on a building to her right and heading strait for her.

'Naruto' saw Hinata but tripped on the edge of the building in his excitement. This caused him to fly towards her to the surprise of both. "WATCH OUT HINATA!" She of course, was too surprised by Naruto hurtling strait for her to move. Seeing this 'Naruto' reached his arms so they can wrap around her. He twisted mid air so she would be on top when they landed and slid across the ground.

Fortunately, depending on your point of view, 'Naruto' found his face right in the middle of Hinata's bosom. Hinata could feel it just as well. The Naruto disappeared as soon as he could to avoid any possible repercussions. This let gravity bring Hinata down the rest of the way. The brightly blushing Hyuga rolled over and sat up. "Thank goodness that was a clone. If that was the real Naruto, I don't know what I would do."

After recovering from the event, Hinata stood up and walked over to pick up the box. She blushed when she noticed that about ten people were staring at her. She blushed even more when she saw Naruto land a short distance away. He ran over to her while waving. "Hey Hinata, I have been looking for you."

"Y-y-you have?"

Naruto had the decency to avert his eyes and blush a bit. "Hai, you were the last one left for me to talk to."

She looked down sadly. "Oh. I was the last one on his mind."

Naruto looked at Hinata and noticed a plain white box in her arms. "Hey Hinata, what is in that box?"

Hinata did a little hop as her memory jumpstarted. She suddenly held out the box, almost hitting Naruto, while keeping her eyes fixed on the ground. "F-f-f-for you."

Naruto was speechless as he placed his hands on the box's sides. When Hinata felt the weight of the box lessen, she let go of it. She trembled as she awaited his response. "Is…is this a present?"

"H-h-hai; f-for y-your tr-trip." She waited patiently for his response. "What if he doesn't like it?" She trembled more fiercely at the thought.

Tears pricked the sides of Naruto's eyes and his heart swelled with happiness. In all his life, presents were very few. The only presents that he ever received came from Teuchi, Ayame, Sarutobi, and Iruka. Hinata was now the sixth person to ever give him a present."Arigato Hinata-chan. You are a better friend than I thought." After that, _the_ Naruto Uzumaki became a loss for words.

Hinata's brain shut down before the second sentence started. "Hinata-_chan_? He called me …."

Because he was holding the box up in front of his face, he did not notice what Hinata was doing until he heard a thud. He moved the box out of the way to see the Hyuga on the ground out cold. He immediately dropped the box and moved so he was standing over her. The blond knelt down and placed his hands on her shoulders. From there, he lifted her up and started shaking her gently. "Hinata-chan, Hinata-chan, are you okay? Oh no, it doesn't look like she's breathing. Maybe the breath got knocked out of her." Naruto set her down and repositioned himself so he was at her side.

Due to being shaken and put down, Hinata began to awaken. When her eyes opened, she saw Naruto's face close to hers and getting closer bit by bit. The thing was that his lips were puffed out as far as they could go. She didn't even have time to think before reacting. With a squeal, she quickly sat up, smashing Naruto's nose, and fell back down in unconsciousness. She spoke in a voice that matched the fact that she was in dreamland. "Naruto-kun."

Naruto was keeping the blood from coming out of his broken nose. "Ita, what was that for Hinata-chan." He looked down to see her out cold again. He then looked around to see a group of civilians staring at them. He laughed nervously before grabbing his present and Hinata. With both in hand, the teen shinobi leapt to the top of a roof. Naruto placed her and the box on the roof. "Man, why does she always faint like that."

Hinata began to wake again. When her eyes opened this time, she quickly took notice of the blood coming out of Naruto's nose. She quickly stood up to Naruto's surprise. "Naruto-kun, are you okay."

"Hai, I'm o …; Wait, she didn't stutter once there." He watched with curiosity as she pulled out a small first aid kit that she always had in her jacket. From there, she took out two small pieces of gauze and handed them to him. "Arigato Hinata-chan." She blushed as he used them to plug up his nose, which was still leaking blood. He looked at Hinata again and saw a small spot of red on her jacket. He reached out and touched it. "Hinata-chan, you have some of my blood on your jacket." It was then that he realized that he was poking one of her breast. He began waving his hands defensively. "Gomen Hinata-chan, it was an accident."

She meanwhile, was blushing full out and hyperventilating. "Don't faint, don't faint, don't faint." After repeating that thought a few times, she managed to relax a bit. "I-i-i-i-it's okay N-Naruto-kun, y-y-you didn't m-mean t-to."

He took up a sheepish pose. "Arigato Hinata-chan. If you were like Sakura-chan, I would be a bloody pulp right now. You're a lot nicer."

Hinata's blush returned in full. She gulped and mustered up as much nerve as possible. "Ano, c-c-can I-I s-see you o-off on y-your tr-trip?"

"I FORGOT, FOLLOW ME HINATA-CHAN!" She was about to chase after him, but noticed the box he left on the roof. She picked it up and followed. When she arrived with him at the west gate, they both froze in surprise. Everyone excluding Teuchi, Ayame, and the Konohamaru corps was there. Neji and Choji were in wheelchairs. "WHAT ARE ALL OF YOU DOING HERE?"

"Have you forgotten Naruto-kun? We are all here to bid you a youthful farewell."

He took up a sheepish pose. "Oh."

Everyone looked at Naruto with glares when they noticed his appearance and the person who was with him. **Remember his bleeding nose.** Kiba gave Naruto an accusing pose. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HINATA-CHAN?"

Naruto would have retorted with saying that he did nothing, if it weren't for the massive hostility he was receiving. Tsunade and Sakura were cracking their knuckles. Shizune and Tenten pulled out senbon, weapons great for causing pain if used right. Neji was glaring with his Byakugan active. Shino had bugs flying around his arms, Kiba along with Akamaru were in their transformed states, and Kurenai was prepared to go into a string of hand-seals. Guy and Lee were prepared for a 'tainting of Hinata's youth rant.' Choji was too surprised to do anything. Ino pulled out a kunai. Shikamaru and Asuma were indifferent. Iruka crossed his arms and tapped his foot repeatedly. Kakashi was actually more interested in current events than in his book. Jiraiya was in the back giving his new apprentice two thumbs up. "_Nice Naruto._"

In general, Naruto was in a very hostile environment and he knew it. He dare not move in fear of setting off an explosion that would be aimed directly at him. Hinata also noticed the hostility. "I have to do something."

She walked forward nervously until she stood between Naruto and the mob and gave them pleading eyes. This served to reduce the hostility by half. When Naruto noticed this, cascading tears came down his face. "Hinata-chan, you are a saint."

Tsunade walked to the front of the pack and glared at the blond. "Naruto, if you don't have a good reason for this, you will find yourself back in the hospital."

"Hinata-fell-down-and-it-looked-like-she-wasn't-breathing-so-I-tried-CPR.-She-suddenly-sat-up-and-broke-my-nose."

Tsunade blinked a bit. "Take a deep breath and repeat that slowly." Naruto did as was asked of him. She looked at Hinata who looked down with embarrassment and slight shame. "Is this true Hinata?"

"H-hai." The hostility was brought down to about five percent its original level. Hinata then remembered what she held in her hands. "Y-you f-forgot this."

Naruto took up a sheepish pose. "Arigato Hinata-chan." He took his present.

Jiraiya chose this time to approach. "Well, now that we're done saying goodbye, it is time for us to go."

Jiraiya began walking out of the gate. "Come on Ero-sennin, can't I stay for a little longer."

The toad sennin turned back and gave Naruto a serious stare. "No, we are leaving now. Any complaints and I will postpone your training." That turned Naruto's complaints into grumbles. As he left the gate, he turned back and gave his friends one last smile and wave. Jiraiya started poking at Naruto. "So Gaki, what's in the box?"

He gripped it with both arms and moved if further from the Sanin. "None of your business Ero-sennin."

Jiraiya reacted by taking the box out of Naruto's arms. This was followed them fighting over possession of the box. In the process, a slip of paper came out of an opening. Jiraiya let go of the box and grabbed the paper. He lifted it to where Naruto couldn't reach and read it to himself. "Instructions for cloths?" When he finished reading, his eyes were pretty wide. "I have to meet the guy who made this."

**Back with the farewell group.**

Hinata watched Naruto disappear at the horizon with apprehension. "Be safe Naruto-kun."

Shino was the first to turn around. He stopped suddenly. "Who are you?"

Everyone else turned around to see a man wearing a dark blue wind breaker with his hands in the pockets. "A-Arashi-san?"

He smirked. "The one and only Hinata-chan." He walked forward while giving off an aura of power that no one there thought he could possibly have. He suddenly circled around them with a speed that none of the young shinobi other than Lee could follow. "It is time to get this started."

The ones that didn't notice his movement turned around at the voice. "Wh-What do y-you mean A-Arashi-san?"

"He is talking about the mission that he has hired you for Hinata-chan." Everyone excluding Kurenai looked as Tsunade with raised eyebrows or wide eyes.

Arashi started clapping, bringing attention to him. "_And the truth is revealed_. I learned about this three year trip little Naruto-kun was going on with Jiraiya, I felt this great urge to imitate them. All I needed was a young companion."

Shino walked forward and moved his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Do you mean apprentice."

He chuckled. "Pretty sharp kid; hai, that is what I meant.

Kiba and Akamaru started barking at him."WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN TRAIN HINATA-CHAN?"

"What makes you think I can't?"

Sakura chose this time to butt in. "We can't let Hinata-chan be alone with a full grown man."

He disappeared again and reappeared behind her. He gave off a disturbing aura as he spoke in her ear. "It really annoys me when that reason is used against me. I hate double standards." He returned to his previous spot, leaving a creeped out Sakura behind.

Kakashi stepped forward. "Who are you?"

"I am Arashi Ayama."

The name rung in Neji's ears. **Arashi is the word for tempest. Ayama, although it means nothing by itself, is commonly a part of words that have to deal with mistakes.** "Are you the same person who delivered Hinata-sama to the hospital on the day of the invasion?"

Arashi smirked. "Hai, that was me. It is interesting that you would find that out."

Everyone silently listened to the interesting conversation. "Arigato Arashi-san, nothing can convey the gratitude I feel toward you. I have no objections to you taking Hinata-dono with you as long as you promise nothing inappropriate will happen to her."

"That will be an easy promise to keep. To an extent. She will be perfectly safe with me."

Kiba voice the question on everyone's mind at the time. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"

"Put simply, if I wasn't here during the Suna and Oto invasion, you and Hinata-chan would be six feet under right now." He took the long silence as a chance to explain. "Hinata-chan was on a balcony with no other shinobi other than you around. You were unconscious. After preventing Hinata's death, I woke you up from the sleeping genjutsu and took her to the hospital."

"This day is turning out more troublesome than I thought it would."

Everyone looked at him inquisitively but Ino voiced the question. "What do you mean Shikamaru?"

"Think about it Ino. We weren't collected here to say goodbye to Naruto one last time. We are here to bid Hinata farewell."

Arashi clapped again. "Leave it up to a Nara to figure it out. I was the one who orchestrated this gathering so Hinata-chan can have a chance to say good bye to everyone."

"W-what about H-Hanabi-chan."

"ONEE-CHAN!"

Everyone turned around to see a young Hyuga girl with long brown hair running straight for them. They could all tell that she was tired when she arrived. "Hanabi-chan, w-what are you d-doing here?"

Arashi placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I am the type of guy that thinks of the little things. I told Hanabi to be here at noon when I was at your clan's compound yesterday."

"Y-you planed th-this out?"

"Hai, I am just that good."

"Onee-chan, are you really leaving to go train?"

"I-I-I don't kn-know."

"It would be wise if you change your answer to a yes. While I was at your compound yesterday, I overheard a clan meeting. They plan on you two fighting within the next week. The loser gets put in the branch family. It is also designed so Hanabi-san has the advantage right at the start." Everyone looked at him in surprise, to which Arashi shrugged his shoulders. "_What?_"

Kurenai was the one who responded. "How did you do this without being noticed?"

"Who said I wasn't noticed. I walked right up in there and told them that their plans will have to be put on hold." He had a wide, almost maniacal grin on his face.

Everyone's jaws dropped at varying degrees, excluding Guy and Lee, as they thought one thing. "This guy's insane."

Arashi turned to face Hinata and gave her a thumb up and a small smile. "Don't worry about your clan. I promise to protect you both from being branch members. Also, I promise to do my best to turn you into a strong kunoichi."

To Lee and Guy, this had an undeniable resemblance to the nice guy pose. Because of how like minded they were, they _spoke_ in unison. "YOSH, YOU ARE A FINE MAN ARASHI-SAN! WE HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU CAN MAKE HINATA-CHAN STRONG!"

Arashi performed a sweat-drop. "Maybe I should have avoided promising that way."

"You are the second person outside the Hyuga clan to gain my respect. I have no qualms towards you taking Hinata-sama out of this village."

"I trust my teammates' judgment. If they are okay with it, then I am."

Asuma took a drag out of his cigarette. "As long as Hinata is returned, I have no problems."

"Troublesome."

"What my friend is trying to say is that he is not bothered by this. I feel the same way too."

"If Naruto going on a training trip with Jiraiya-sama already makes for a good day of gossip, this just makes it better."

"Maybe you will see my baka of a teammate while you are out there." Hinata blushed from this.

"If Akamaru is okay with you, then so am I." Akamaru yips in response.

"You have shown us more reason to trust you than otherwise. I have little doubt towards your sincerity."

Kurenai sighed. "It looks like I am severely out voted here. In all honesty, I don't like you. You are rude and have no respect for personal space. But, I can't deny that you are very strong. The only reason that I'm going with this is because it is for Hinata-chan."

"You had me with all the offers you made just for the chance to train Hinata-chan. The money you paid will be very useful to this village."

"Ano, I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said, but I do have a question to ask you Arashi-san."

Arashi smiled. "Hai, ask away Shizune-chan."

She blushed. "Yesterday, y-you said that I was more beautiful even though Tsunade-sama and Kurenai-san were there."

Arashi raised his hand to stop her. "Say no more. I have different preferences when it comes to the appearance of a woman. Makeup and revealing clothing will only serve to reduce a woman's attractiveness in my eyes. I may flatter women all the time, but I never tell them a lie." He turned back to Hinata and Hanabi. "Just one final goodbye and we are off Hinata-chan."

"H-hai."

"We weren't expecting this Onee-chan. I guess that I will have to wait before you can teach me the Protective Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms. At least this way, I will be flexible enough to use it properly when you get back."

"Hai H-Hanabi-chan, d-do your best."

Hinata felt a hand on her shoulder again. She turned her teary eyes back at Arashi, who was giving her a soft smile. "I believe that it is time to go." He turned around and began to slowly walk to the village gate. She began to follow him.

As they left the gate, she looked back to see all her friends waving her off and smiling. She did the same for them. Part of her wanted to refuse the mission, but the stronger part wanted to follow in the footsteps of her beloved. She looked up at Arashi with curiosity. "I wonder what being with him for three years will be like. It is April right now, so that means I will return on April three years from now."

* * *

**That seemed as good a place as any to leave off. This story just keeps getting better. Next chapter is where the _'fun'_ begins. I don't plan on skipping all the time she spends out of the village. That means you get to read how Hinata becomes stronger and how much she learns.**

**Next Chapter: The Training Begins.**


	23. The Training Begins: Chapter 23

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Hinata woke on the morning of the last day and immediately began her search for Naruto. On the way, she ran into Arashi, who gave her the outfit that he promised her all those days ago. Naruto woke up to realize that he forgot to switch the alarm on. He raced to the academy only to find that Iruka was at Ichiraku. While there, Iruka reminds him that he has someone left to talk to. He runs off and starts using his clones to search for her. When one of these clones finds her, it trips and crashes into her. The clone manages to get a face full of her bosom before dispelling. The real Naruto shows up shortly thereafter. Hinata gives him the present and faints after being called Hinata-chan. Thinking that she wasn't breathing, Naruto tries CPR. She sits up and gives him a bloody nose. He takes her to the roof and she wakes up again. He then points out a spot of blood on her jacked, poking her breast in the process. When the embarrassment passed, they headed for the west gate. Both were surprised to find everyone there. They take notice of Naruto's nose bleed, causing a lot of hostility and some praise. After the danger passes, Hinata give the present to Naruto and he leaves. Jiraiya manages to get a slip of paper out of the box as they left. Arashi shows up at this time to the surprise of everyone. His plans are revealed, to the surprise of many. After hearing his name, Neji shows great trust towards Arashi. He reveals to everyone how he saved Hinata's life. Thanks to Arashi's planning, Hanabi shows up in time. Each of the people there said something to Hinata and/or Arashi. Hinata leaves the village with him, wondering what the next three years will be like.)

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**I am finally at the second part of my story. It is great to reach this point and I am thankful to all the readers that stuck with me this far. I hope you enjoy this part as much as you enjoyed the last one. I also hope that I will get enough reviews to hit the one-hundred reviews point; or at least next chapter.**

**The Training Begins**

"In just a few minutes, my life has been turned upside down. I expected to say goodbye to Naruto-kun and then return to my normal life. I never expected what really happened. Now I am out on my own training trip with a sensei I know next to nothing about. I hope he can make me stronger."

About an hour has passed since the pair left the village of Konoha. Hinata stopped walking when she saw Arashi do the same. "We will begin your training now. The first thing we need to do is build up your chakra reserves. I am certain that you are capable of walking on solid surfaces. You will train as we travel."

"H-how will w-we do th-this."

He raced through a bunch of hand seals. "Earth style, Construction." The earth began breaking apart and flying out to an area in front of Arashi. It soon formed into what looked like a large seesaw. Coming out of the center sides were stone rods that came down to a pair of wheels. The structure was fifteen feet tall and seven feet wide. Half of the stone slab's length and width were just under those measurements. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." She noticed three clones of her sensei come into existence. He turned too Hinata. "I want you to jump up and stand on one of the edges, but not the sides. You should be able to figure it out from there."

She did as she was told. When she did, the stone slab rotated downwards like a pendulum. This scared her for a bit until she realized that he structure was sound. She noticed the clone looking at her periodically and taking notes on a small notepad. The other two were pushing the structure along the path. Hinata then noticed the original Arashi standing close to the slab's path. When she passed by him, she felt a slight increase in speed. "It is like a giant swing."

"HOW'S THE TRAINING HINATA-CHAN?"

"I-it is f-fun A-Arashi-sensei."

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Hinata took a deep breath. "I SAID IT IS FUN ARASHI-SENSEI!"

Arashi smirked. "Perfect, by training this way we are building up her chakra reserves. Not only that, but in order for us to communicate, she has to yell. It is fairly difficult to yell and stutter at the same time. I am killing two birds with one stone. HINATA-CHAN, CONSIDERING OUR CURRENT RELATIONSHIP, CALLING ME ARASHI-SENSEI IS INAPPROPRIATE! YOU ARE TO CALL ME ARASHI-SHISHŌ!"

"H-hai A-Arashi-shishō."

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"HAI ARASHI-SHISHŌ!"

"It is going to take a while before she gets used to that." He turned towards the clone taking notes. "How is it going?"

"Her chakra control is great. She is usually not off by no more than one point two percent. Given her chakra potential and current chakra reserves, it will be eleven days before we can move on to the next stage if we go all out on training her and start tomorrow."

"Hai, that is good." Arashi looked up at her with his blue eyes. "She has fairly good chakra potential. She most likely has whoever her mother was to thank for that. If my training methods stick, her reserves should surpass my current reserves in the course of ten to twelve years. I am thirty-two. That would put her nine to seven years ahead of me."

In the middle of the training, they stopped to have dinner, which was a simple sealed meal. As the day began to end, Arashi could see that Hinata's chakra was starting to run low. "THAT IS ENOUGH FOR TODAY HINATA-CHAN!" He stopped the structure, giving Hinata the chance to jump off. Arashi formed a hand seal and then placed his hands on the ground. Four thick slates of stone surrounded the wheels of the oversized seesaw. "That should keep it from rolling away." He turned to Hinata, who was showing her fatigue. "We will be doing this for eleven days. After that, we will move on to the next stage of chakra building. At the same time, we will work on your taijutsu."

"Ha-hai." She followed him to a small nearby clearing in the forest. Her eyes widened at a new realization. "I-I forgot t-to pack."

"Hinata-chan, you had no clue that this was going to happen today. Don't worry, I prepared everything." He took out two scrolls and unfurled them onto the flat ground. He bit both thumbs and placed his blood on the scrolls. With a puff of smoke, two tents appeared. The larger tent was forest green.

Hinata noticed that the smaller dark purple tent was her own personal one. "H-how did you…?"

"I took it out of your room. I sealed many of your things into a scroll this morning. I would have done it earlier, but I didn't want you to notice."

Her mouth was agape. "Y-you w-was in my r-room."

"Hai, I was." He looked at Hinata to see her eyes narrowing at him. "Wow, girls are really particular about their rooms. This even affects Hinata-chan." He chuckled at her. "There is nothing that can be done about it now. Oh yeah, I have to compliment your poetry. All kinds of ideas flow out of you when you think of Naruto." She blushed heavily but the narrow gaze remained. "Time for bed; your sleeping bag should be in your tent. I am already getting on her nerves."

Hinata sighed before going to sleep. The next morning, she woke up to the smell of something cooking. She opened up her tent to see Arashi cooking five fish over an open fire. He waved at her with a smile. "Hey Hinata-chan, there was a stream nearby so I decided to catch some breakfast. I hope you don't mind fish."

"N-no, I don't m-mind." She sat down at the fire. Arashi gave her the two largest fish while he took the other three. She began to eat them, but stopped in the middle of the first. "A-Arashi-shishō, w-why me?"

Arashi swallowed his bite. "What do you mean by why me?" He continued eating.

"Why d-did you p-pick me. Y-you could h-have had any-anybody else. Th-there's n-nothing special a-about me."

"That is where you are wrong Hinata-chan. Although it is true that I kept my options open, you were my primary choice from the beginning. Still, I wouldn't chose someone as an apprentice if I didn't think that they were worthy of it. Here is a lesson for you. If you feel like you are too weak, just train. If you think that others don't accept you, train. If you feel like you should give up, train. If you are scared of what the future will bring, train. The one thing that will never betray you, no matter what Hinata-chan, is your training."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "My training will never betray me." She nodded with a smile and ate up her fish at a faster pace.

Arashi smiled at this. "I guess that she wants to get back to training." He too, ate up his fish. Faster than Hinata could keep up with, he put out the fire and resealed the tents. "Let's go Hinata-chan."

"Hai."

"No stutter; she must be excited." They approached the structure he made yesterday. Arashi stomped away the slabs of stone that held it in place. He created two clones to push it and another to observe. By time he was done, Hinata was already on it. When the slab reached him, Arashi pushed it so Hinata would be completely upside-down. "I think it is time to send this up a notch."

As she came down, Hinata took a look at Arashi's face. The maniacal expression he wore was not very comforting to her. He stopped the slabs movement. While still holding it, he pulled the slab back as much as he could. "It looks like when a kid prepares himself using a swing." Her eyes widened in realization.

"Hold on Hinata-chan." Using a large amount of strength, Arashi forced the slab into a full 360 degree rotation. Hinata was already crouched down so she could use her hands to help. Once it came down to him again, he pushed it into a faster rotation. He listened intently to Hinata's screams. "Ah, music to my ears." A few minutes passed before the screams died down. "Used to it already eh." He began to put even more strength into the rotations.

Feeling herself slide a bit, Hinata put a little more chakra into holding her place. Her muscles were also strained in keeping her close to the slab. "This is insane. Where does someone come up with something like this?"

Minutes upon minutes passed until it has been an hour. The clone observed her carefully. "Her chakra is starting to run low. She will probably last only ten more seconds."

"I'm almost out of chakra. I can't go much longer." Memories she had of Naruto training non-stop filled her mind. "No, I will not give up. I just need more chakra."

"She will run out in three, two, one, and now." The clone's eyes widened. He looked carefully for the reason why she was able to keep going. "She is using her life chakra supply. I never expected something like this. If she keeps this up, she can last another fifteen minutes. If she goes past that, I may have to stop her before she kills herself." The original was watching her intently with similar thoughts going through his head.

Exhaustion; that word didn't begin to describe how Hinata felt at the time. Regardless, she persevered past her limits. Her body trembled as she pulled out every bit of extra chakra that she could, no matter how tired she became. Her muscles were strained as well. Without warning, her hand slipped. From there, it was easy for the intense speed to send her flying forward. She then lost consciousness.

The original Arashi took notice of this. "I guess I have to save her." He dashed forward with untraceable speed. With a powerful leap, he reached Hinata's aerial location. Once they landed, he calmly walked back to where his clones were. He stopped along the way and placed Hinata gently on the ground. "She used around fifteen percent of her life essential chakra. This would leave someone like her unconscious for two days and immobile for three additional days. Good thing _I_ am her shishō." Arashi raced through a few hand-seals. "Chakra Transfer Jutsu."

Chakra collected at Arashi's right hand. It became more focused on the tips of his pointer and middle fingers. After this, he placed those fingers on her forehead. Steadily, her reserves began to restore. Her eyes twitched before opening. "A-Arashi-shishō." She began to feel the exhaustion from before fade away. Soon, all that remained from the previous event was her strained muscles. "Ano, wh-what h-happened Arashi-sh-shishō?"

"You passed out in the middle of training, so I had to revive you. You did as well as expected. If I tell her the truth, the same thing may not happen again. Recovering one's life supply of chakra tends to cause greater growth. I may have made a miscalculation though. We may be able to move on to the next stage a day or two early."

Hinata's face lit up. "H-hai." She stood up with some effort. When she got a look at the seesaw contraption, she blanched. "Ano, c-can w-we do s-something m-more c-conventional?"

Arashi looked back at her. His eyes gave off a blue tinted light. "Don't you remember what I said about being the same as others?"

She laughed nervously. "I have a feeling that this isn't the only unconventional training method I will have to go through."

"You should jump back up there so we can get back to training. The more time you between now and the next stage of training. Just to let you know, that one was just to test your limits. You will only get stronger from here. Don't worry, I won't kill you."

Hinata sighed. "He's right. Arashi-shishō wouldn't go through all this trouble just to wind up killing me."

He looked up absentmindedly. "At least I don't think I will."

Hinata's mouth dropped a bit. "A-Arashi-shishō." He grabbed her by the jacket and threw her onto the device. Before she could even think, it was spinning again. Instead of wasting her breath on screaming, Hinata put all her effort into staying in place. The unexpected happened when she spinning suddenly reduced in speed. Only an increase in the amount of chakra she was using kept her in place. Next thing she knew, she was spinning in the opposite direction. She needed to use just as much muscle strength to keep from getting flattened, but she didn't have to use as much chakra.

This continued as the spinning got faster and the changes in direction became more sudden. Each and every time, Hinata managed to push past using her free reserves and into using her life supply of chakra. The amount of life chakra she used varied each time. The highest was around seventeen percent of her life's chakra.

The day ended with Hinata exhausted of all her non-essential chakra and Arashi panting slightly. "That went as well as expected. Today was fun, but I think that it is time to get serious. I can't wait until tomorrow when I tell her that what happened today wasn't the best way to increase her reserves. She is bound to be mad." Arashi set up camp and prepared dinner due to Hinata's exhaustion. He also spiked her food with a with a special substance that restores her reserves to full with a night of sleep. Hinata didn't hesitate to eat and was out like a light when she hit the covers.

The next morning consisted of yet another fish breakfast. "Ano, wh-where did y-you get th-those f-fish?"

"I sealed away some fish that I caught yesterday. I have enough for two more days." The portions were the same as the last morning. As they walked back towards the large contraption Hinata dreaded, Arashi spoke. "Hinata-chan, let me tell you a little secret on how increasing one's chakra reserves works."

"H-hai." She looked at him intently.

He took up an informative pose. "When it comes to increasing one's chakra reserves, the best way to do this is to make sure that your chakra is always restoring itself. In other words, you need to gradually use all your chakra through the whole day, ending with your reserves running out. It only works well if your reserves restore themselves on their own. In other words, little outside help."

Hinata thought about that for a few seconds. "N-nani, w-weren't you g-giving m-me you chakra?"

"Hai; yesterday gave me more training than it gave you."

Hinata froze and her mouth opened a bit. A few uncomfortable seconds passed. "YOU MEAN THAT YESTERDAY WAS FOR NOTHING!"

Arashi chuckled. "Not really. It did serve a purpose. It helped you get used to surprises and unknown situations. It helped me see the level of your tenacity accurately as well. Yesterday wasn't a one-hundred percent waste."

"Oh, I-I understand. I need to trust Arashi-shishō a little more."

"It was a seventy percent waste."

Hinata's eyes narrowed. "Only a little more." This morning, they went through the same process. The change was that an Arashi clone joined her but on the opposite side. Because he was slightly closer to the center, the oversized seesaw was balanced. Figuring that a low voice wouldn't reach him well, Hinata decided to speak louder. "WHAT IS THIS?"

"JUST MAKE SURE YOU DON'T MOVE FROM THAT SPOT AND THAT YOU REMAIN PERPENDICULAR!"

"HAI!" Arashi moved back until Hinata had to use chakra to remain on the device due to the change in angle.

After three hours into the afternoon, she began to run out of chakra. Arashi could see that she was having more trouble using her life supply of chakra due to boredom. "She has hardly used one percent of it and she looks ready to quit. I expected this though. Hinata-chan, are you going to stop here. I thought you promised that you would get stronger." This relit her desire to continue.

The next day, she was able to go until night and beyond. After that, Arashi's clone started changing the angles repeatedly until on the last day, she was upside-down. She managed to make it to the end of that day. This added up to nine days of _serious_ training. Now the contraption was a pile of rubble on the ground. "Now Hinata; time for the next stage." He ran though the same hand seals from when this trip started. "Earth Style, Construction."

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**This chapter proved a lot more of a challenge. I wanted to keep some of my earlier ideas, but I was also trying to incorporate spur of the moment ideas. On top of that, I am away from college in a three week vacation. (Funny thing about me. I can write more in the school setting, even if there is homework.)**

**Next Chapter: The Masters.**


	24. The Masters: Chapter 24

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." At the beginning of her training, Hinata had to use her chakra to keep from falling off a oversized seesaw. The first day went by very calmly. In the next morning, Arashi gave Hinata a speech about training. On that day, he decided to have some fun with the training. After that day, the training became very placid. After twelve day since the beginning, the next stage of training begins.)

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**Just to let you readers know; this chapter will contain many elements from History's Strongest Disciple, Kenichi, including a description of the masters in the anime. I hope you readers like it. I also changed the summary a little to fit this chapter.**

**I also thank you for allowing me to reach one-hundred reviews.**

"**The Masters"**

"Earth Style, Construction." Like before, stones began to form in front of Arashi and take on a shape. This time, it was the shape of a large bowl. He jumped onto one of the rims. He then ran through a new set of hand seals. "Wind Style, Condensation." Hinata could feel a chilly breeze in the area. The wind spiraled like a weak tornado. A few seconds passed before it became like mist. The mist collected over the large bowl and became water.

This went by for a few minutes until the bowl was nearly full. When the jutsu stopped, Hinata could tell that the surrounding air was much drier. She jumped up next to him and looked at him with a questioning expression. "Ano, wh-why w-was this a w-wind style j-jutsu?"

"That is simple really. The condensation of the water in the air is caused by its cooling. You can't cool the air with a water style ninjutsu."

"W-wouldn't it be e-easier to u-use a w-water style."

"Hai it would. Using wind style ninjutsu to pull water out of the air and then cool it requires more chakra usage and more chakra control. This means that it is obviously the hard way. Using this method, I am forced to refine my chakra control; even if it is only by a little." Hinata looked at Arashi with slight admiration as he jumped off of the large bowl. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." He jumped up again, but instead landed on the water. "We will spar a little on the water's surface."

"H-hai." She stepped out onto the water and focused her chakra to remain on the surface.

She immediately took up the Jūken stance. "Hinata-chan, do not use chakra for your attacks unless I tell you otherwise. Also, I do not know Jūken." Arashi smirked. "I will be using a style that I believe is very well suited against Jūken. It is one of the older styles. It is so old that it is unfamiliar with a large amount of the population. It is called Jujutsu. It is also a style very well suited for those with small builds."

Hinata nodded at the rather vague information. She charged forward and attacked Arashi's right side. He simply changed the angle of his body, grabbed her arm, and pulled her forward a bit. "I need to get my balance back." That idea was far too late. Arashi used the position and ducked under her body. The next thing Hinata knew, she was underwater. "What happened?"

She climbed out of the water and stood up. "If you were wondering, what I just did there was pretty much the fundamentals of Jujutsu. First, you changed an attacker's center of gravity. After that, the user takes advantage of this with a throw and/or a grapple. It works very well against those who are heavier and/or bigger than the user. It was actually designed to be used against weapons."

Hinata noticed the bowl's elevation rising suddenly. The water shifted and it started moving forward. "So that is what that clone was for." She blinked stupidly for a few seconds. "Ano, w-why haven't w-we r-ran into a-a village?"

"We haven't run into a village yet simply because I am avoiding them. We will only go into a village in the case that we need new supplies or for special occasions. Otherwise, we will be on a path or in the wilderness."

"H-hai." She took up a Jūken stance.

Arashi raised his hand and gave her a stopping gesture. "That is enough sparing. Our main goal right now is to make sure that your chakra reserves increase as much as possible. If we spar, you stamina will run low meaning that you won't have as much left over to feed into your chakra. You can watch me spar with a clone for a few moments." He performed the hand seals. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Another Arashi appeared. "Watch my clone closely Hinata-chan. It will use a technique that I plan on teaching you."

The clone took up a simple standing stance with his hands at chest level. Both palms were pointed at the original with the fingers hooked. Arashi charged forward as the clone stood still. Next thing Hinata knew, a powerful palm strike was sent for Arashi's head. She saw her shishō dodge it. "GUNGNIR!"

The arm she saw pass Arashi by disappeared and reappeared on Arashi's face. He was sent flying back by the attack. Hinata's eyes widened in confusion a shock. "Nani, I thought he dodged that. I am supposed to learn an attack like that?" The original Arashi charged forward with a fist ready. Once reaching striking distance, a group of blurry attacks were sent at him. This sent him flying back. The clone remained untouched. Hinata looked at the original Arashi as he stood up. "He doesn't have a single scratch on him. Did those attacks even hurt him?"

"Hinata-chan; I am going to show you another move. I should have shown you this one first because you will learn it before the other. It is actually a necessity." Both the clone and Arashi took deep breaths. On hand was in a defensive position while the other was in an offensive position. They were perfect mirrors of each other. Just by shifting their feet, they closed in on each other.

Hinata could sense the tension in the air between the pair. This tension scared her. It only became tenser as the distance closed. Suddenly, the Arashi pair spoke in unison. "Hinata-chan; your father, Tsunade, and Might Guy … they can easily be called the greatest taijutsu users in your village. Even so, they can not be called taijutsu masters. They are far from it." They paused in both speech and movement when their feet were only an inch from each other. The tension was literally palpable. The water between them was being pushed up by some unseen force that pushed on it from a central point under each Arashi. Hinata activated her Byakugan in hopes of seeing how their chakra was causing this, except for the fact that they weren't using their chakra for anything but their doujutsu and standing on the water. "LET US SHOW YOU WHAT A REAL TAIJUTSU MASTER CAN DO … SEIKUKEN!"

A flurry of untraceable blows was launched. Waves of power caused waves in the water. "What is this? I am supposed to learn something like this. I am not capable of something this powerful." Her eyes quivered in both fear and awe. Their arms were nonexistent in her eyes. There was only the sheer power Arashi and his clone gave off. Time passed; she was unsure on whether it was minutes or hours. The attacks slowed to a stop. Despite this stop, there was one more burst of power to release. After that, it finally calmed down.

Arashi's clone disappeared. Hinata was taking very deep breaths as her shishō approached her. "So Hinata; how was it?" He gave her a once over. "Judging by the fear in your eyes and your trembling body, I can guess that you are very impressed. Believe it or not, I am sure that you can learn this technique. It may take time, but you can learn it. When you do, a whole new world will open up to you. Until then, you will have your training fairly easy off. Don't slack off."

Despite her dazed state, Hinata heard all of those words. "What have I gotten into?"

"I am surprised Hinata-chan. Despite the sheer power you felt coming off of me, you were able to remain on the water's surface. I expected you to fall into the water due to the fear you would feel. Instead, you remained afloat; even if it was unconsciously." He bent over and kissed her on the top of the head. "_Aw_, looks like I gave you your first kiss."

Hinata's eyes widened and she blinked stupidly for a few seconds. It took a few seconds for her brain to catch up. "NANI, th-th-th-th-th-that doesn't count."

He began to rub the top of her head. "You're right about that not counting." He was about to form a hand seal, but instead decided to stop. "I will save that for later. Stand up Hinata-chan. I have something to teach you about fighters."

"W-what is i-it?"

"I am going to tell you about the two types of fighters; Dou and Sei. It is important for anyone who fights to learn about these two types of fighters. It is fairly easy to tell which type a person is by just watching them fight for a few seconds. I will first tell you about Dou types." He paused to take a breath. A Dou type fighter uses his anger to surpass his limits. An example of a Dou type fighter would be Tsunade. Self control is fairly difficult for these types of fighters, but that doesn't mean that they can't fight smart."

Hinata nodded at this. "I wonder if Naruto-kun is a Dou type."

"I am a Sei type. Because of this, I know more about Sei types. I am willing to bet my life that you are also a Sei type as well. Sei type fighters use skill and strategy to win their fights. Sei types are also fairly difficult to predict because they contain their fighting and killing intent until the instant the battle begins. In other words, they can feel the same level of anger as a Dou type fighter, but they contain that within themselves until the fight begins. Experienced Sei type fighters can fight and kill without giving off even the slightest bit of killing intent. Despite the way I promoted Sei type fighters, both types are equally strong. Do not underestimate a Dou type fighter."

Hinata nodded. "H-hai." Hinata felt her stomach growl.

Arashi was able to pick it up with his trained ears. "I guess that it is time for lunch Hinata-chan. You stay here."

Hinata looked at the water while sitting on her legs. She repeated the information she acquired on this day through her mind. "Arashi-shishō is strong, very strong. I can't imagine anyone giving off that kind of power, yet he did. I hope that I don't turn out as a disappointment." After her thoughts, Arashi showed up with a large stone tray. On it was both of their lunches

They ate the meal in complete silence. When she finished eating, Hinata noticed that she was beginning to run out of chakra again. The day went by with Hinata running out of chakra around 13:00, if the sun was anything to go by. She rested for some time before getting back on the water at the time Arashi told her to.

The next morning came and Hinata and Arashi were back on the water. He looked at her seriously. "Since we don't have much else to do for now, do you want to talk about something. You can ask me anything. I just can't promise that I will answer. I will say pass if I don't like where a question is going."

Hinata looked down a bit. "C-can you t-tell me w-where y-you learned th-those t-techniques."

"Sure, it won't hurt to tell you that." Arashi took up a thoughtful pose as he recalled his past. "About fourteen years ago, I started trip to further my training. After three of those years, I crossed the oceans. It took me three months to reach land. I thought that this oversea trip was a waist of time, but I didn't want to go through the boat ride again. I traveled and trained in this land until I ran into a large settlement, to my surprise. I walked through the place until I came across what looked like an old rundown dojo. Its name was Ryōzanpaku. The people there made the Sanin look like high chunin at best."

Hinata's eyes widened. "T-they are th-that strong." **A lot of these names would sound better with the surname spoken first, but I don't do that in this story.**

"Hai, they are. Also, they only use taijutsu. One of them uses weapons. Her name is Shigure Kōsaka. What that woman can do with a sword is far beyond anything that I have ever seen in my life. No one has matched her in my eyes. Not even the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. That is not the only weapon that she uses though. Her skills with a blade are so great that she can deflect a sword with her bare hands without getting a scratch."

"B-b-b-b-bare h-hands."

"Hai. The next one is Kensei Ma, though it is easier just to call him Ma. This guy is a pervert. No other way to put it. He has no, and I do mean _no_, reservations. He is fully capable of looking at numerous scantily clad women without even the slightest hint of a nosebleed. I have a feeling that he lost the ability to have them long ago. When caught peeking on women, he teases the women by dodging ever attack they use before running away. The only woman I have seen cause him injury is Shigure. Even then, the injury is only allowed to hit him because it is not done with a weapon and is very weak. As you can guess, he is very fast and flexible. It would take a very large group of jonin or two of the Sannin to land a blow on him."

"The S-S-Sannin."

"Next on my list is Akisame Kōetsuji. Do not let his deceptively small frame deceive you. Thanks to a very complex training regimen he put himself through; a punch from him is just as strong as a punch from Tsunade. He is the one I learned Jujutsu from. Let me make sure that you know that he is far more proficient with the style than I am. He is also so perceptive that it is scary. I swear that nothing goes on without him knowing."

**In a far away room.** As a sculptor with brown hair that spiked at the bottom and wearing a white Gi top with baggy blue pants chipped away at a large stone block, he suddenly sneezed an made a mistake as a result. "This feels like Arashi. How naïve; does he think he can get away with talking about me without me noticing. That pathetic man has never had the proper respect for he superiors."

**Back with Arashi and Hinata.** Arashi sneezed. "A-are you o-okay Arashi-s-shishō."

"Don't worry Hinata-chan. It is just Akisame talking about me to get a little revenge."

Hinata's eyes twitched and she laughed nervously. "T-that is i-impossible. H-he is n-nowhere n-near here."

"Didn't I tell you that he was perceptive? Now for the next person. The first of the heavily built members of Ryōzanpaku is Shio Sakaki. Most people are scared of the man when they look at him, and the jagged scar on his face only makes him scarier. He is also the first of the Dou type fighters. He is very aggressive with his training. He is also a heavy drinker, though with very high tolerance. He doesn't get drunk often. Despite all these qualities, he is a very kind man. If I had to describe his personality, he would be a man among men."

"H-he sounds n-nice."

"Hai, he is quite nice for a natural Dou type fighter. The other Dou type fighter is the definition of gentle giant; that is when he isn't in a fight. When he is relaxing or talking to animals or children, he is very safe to be around. Before you ask, he can talk to animals. Regardless, put him in a spar with someone who would look about one to two years older than you do now and he will kill them, even if it is by accident. The man can not pull his punches. I only survive training with the man because the others were there. His name is Apachai Hopachai."

"What kind of place is the Ryōzanpaku?"

"Now Hinata-chan, I just gave you descriptions of five people who can easily take on any of the Sannin in a one on one fight and win. They live under the same roof and are masters of a single style of fighting. Sometimes, they feel the urge to test out their power against each other to see which one is truly the strongest. Despite these feelings, they have never escalated into such a fight for one reason … Hayato Fūrinji"

"H-how str-strong is h-he?"

"You know the phrase that there is someone stronger than you at all times. This isn't true because the chain could continue until you get to the strongest. There is no doubt in my mind that this man is Hayato." She noticed that Arashi started trembling. "Like many others, I have a fighter's spirit inside of me." His body began trembling more. "Can you imagine how happy the fighter in me would be if I could force that man to use ten percent of his true power to defeat me. Can you imagine the shear feeling of accomplishment I would feel from reaching that point?"

Hinata's eyes widened when she notice the maniacal grin on Arashi's face. "He's not kidding."

Arashi began laughing in a way that fit his grin, scaring Hinata in the process. He noticed this and reined himself in. "Gomen Hinata-chan, I lost control there for a second. Anyways, that man has some strange abilities when it comes to talking. He is capable of carrying out two conversations at the same time, and I do mean that literally. Do you know how weird it is to hear a man say two different words at the same time? It is even weirder when he sings a duet by himself. He can also focus his voice into a beam so that he can make sure that only one person hears him, even if there are others in the room. Combine that with how loud he can get, and his voice alone is a deadly weapon. I am sure he can kill a jonin with it. He can probably raze Konoha to the ground by himself. He is nicknamed as The Man with No Enemies. I think the title fits him well."

"A…Amazing."

"He is Hinata-chan, he is." Arashi took a deep breath. "That is the only question that I wanted you to ask. I was just going to pass any other question. The next time I tell you that you can ask me something, it will only be one specific question. I will always lead you into these questions before having you ask them so don't worry."

Hinata pouted a little. "I wonder why he went on this training trip in the first place."

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**Well readers, did you like it or love it. It is a bit bad on how this chapter had a lot less original content, but most of you don't know about these characters anyways.**

**Next Chapter: The Practical Training.**


	25. Practical Training: Chapter 25

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." The next stage of training began with Hinata walking on water. They spared for a few short moments. Arashi then gave Hinata a showing of some of the techniques that he plans to teach her. She looks at these techniques to awe. After a weird kiss on the top of her head, he explained to her about Sei and Dou type fighters. In the next morning, Hinata asked Arashi where she learned these techniques. He said that it was from a group of masters at a dojo called Ryōzanpaku. He also told her about each of the masters that reside there. As he told her about the strongest person there, Arashi felt great anxiety at the idea of fighting the man.)

* * *

"**Practical Training."**

The month was nearing its end when Hinata started being able to stand on the water till the end of the day. When Hinata jumped onto the water, Arashi joined her with a couple of leaves. "Hinata-chan, in your village, there is a training method where you have to stick a leaf to your head with your own chakra. We will be doing this a bit differently. I want you to keep a leaf on each of your fingers."

Arashi placed a leaf on each of her index fingers. As he expected, she used the near perfect amount of chakra to do this. He saw no point in commenting on this. "W-why am I d-doing this A-Arashi-shishō? I-Isn't there a-a better w-way to b-build my ch-chakra?"

"There is Hinata-chan, but you aren't ready to use those methods yet. I am having you do this because it not only uses up more of your chakra, but it also gives you practice on something a bit more practical. I won't tell you what that is, but trust me. You will be surprised at the improvement. Now I am going to give you another leaf." Arashi quickly left her before returning with another leaf. He placed this leaf on her right middle finger. "Don't let any of them fall off unless I tell you to."

"H-Hai."

As time passed, Hinata was beginning to fell uncomfortable from the way that Arashi continuously stared at her. He caused her to drop the leaves when he suddenly spoke.  
"Hinata-chan." He grabbed the leaves. "When you feel a leaf on a finger, use your chakra to attach it there. When I name a finger, I want you to release the leaf that is on that finger." He placed a leaf on each pinky and another on the right thumb.

"I wonder why he is having me do this."

"Right pinky." She jumped in surprise before releasing the chosen leaf. He placed the leaf on her left middle finger. "Left pinky." It was placed on her right ring finger. "Left middle." It was placed on her left ring finger. "Right thumb." It was moved to the other thumb.

This continued all the way through the day. Arashi saw fit to add another leaf to the game. The day ended with Hinata just as tired as usual. "Today was a lot more interesting. I wonder how it is practical though. All I did was stick leaves to my fingers. How will that help me in battle?"

"Hinata-chan, you made sixty-nine mistakes today. Hopefully you will get better at this with time. Regardless, sixty-nine is a very good score for what I'm having you do this for. You will be surprised at what you can do when this part of your training is complete." Hinata nodded. The day ended with them eating another dinner and with going to bed.

In the next day, the training continued but with seven leaves. He rapidly told her which ones to release from her fingers. To throw her off, he sometimes told her to release multiple leaves before replacing them; but not at the same time. Over time, Hinata began to improve with the strange leaf training. Every time she dropped a leaf she wasn't told to, concentrated chakra to a finger needlessly, or failed to attach a leaf to her finger, Arashi pointed it out by saying 'mistake.' The time between each time he says 'mistake' continued to increase. "Hinata, we will do this two or three more days; depending on your progress. We may even need a fourth day. After that, things will get a bit less boring."

The day passed by in a fairly boring manner, regardless of the constant activity. Arashi set up camp for them and made dinner as he usually did. The next day came around and they jumped onto the large bowl of water. This time, Arashi placed a leaf on each of Hinata's fingers and a leaf in the palm of each hand. When those two leaves were in place, the difficulty of the exercise ramped up considerably for Hinata. Only her training with the jutsu she made herself kept her from dropping a bunch of the other leaves. "That was close."

"As I expected, using chakra to keep a leaf on the palm of the hand draws away from the chakra that goes to her fingertips. I am sure she is getting as bored with this as I am, but I need to have her do this for what I have planed for her. Hinata, we will be doing this time around a bit differently. Instead of me telling you which finger to release a leaf from, I will simply touch a finger that I want you to release a leaf from. If I touch your hand, I want you to release the leaf on that palm. Replacing leaves will be the same as before."

Hinata nodded. "Doing it that way, he can go even faster." Hinata relaxed and waited for Arashi to make a move for a long time. The instant she blinked, Hinata felt Arashi touching her right middle, right pinky, left thumb, and left hand all at once. In her surprise, she dropped all the leaves that weren't on the palms of her hands.

"That is a pretty big mistake. If you react that way to every surprise, let's just say that it won't turn out well for you."

After being with the man for nearly a month, Hinata was getting a fairly good idea of how Arashi thinks. She scowled at him in slight annoyance. "You waited for me to blink on purpose."

"_Well, well, you are learning_. On top of that, I may be able to knock that stuttering out of you sooner than I thought. All I have to do is keep pissing you off."

Hinata's eyes nearly twitched. "I don't know whether to be thankful or angry at him."

"Let's return to training." Arashi picked the leaves out of the water and put them back on Hinata's fingers. In the course of this day, Hinata made more mistakes than before. The greatest amount of leaves she could drop off without a mistake was five. Trying for six always had a mistake. Arashi still made sure that he told her that she did better than expected and to keep it up. This was doing wonders for her confidence. The next day went by exactly the same as the one before.

On the third day of the twelve leaf training, Arashi destroyed the large bowl, causing its contents to spill out. Both Arashi and Hinata jumped out of the way. Arashi appeared further down the road and began the usual earth style jutsu. This time, a solid platform with wheels appeared. "We will continue with this. I will not be requiring you to focus chakra at your feet anymore for a while. Until lunch, this day will be spent on the usual leaf training. After that, you may learn what the leaf training was all about."

Hinata let lose a sigh of relief now knowing that the boring leaf training was nearly over with. She jumped onto the platform and Arashi joined her after making a clone to push it. They then went through the routine of placing leaves on her fingers and palms. Thanks to not having to maintain a steady stream of chakra to her feet, Hinata was able to do much better this time around. As he said, the training continued until lunch. After she finished eating, Hinata looked at Arashi with slight curiosity. "W-what are we doing now?"

"There was only one stutter with your sentence. You are getting better at speech Hinata-chan." She blushed at the compliment. "As for your question, I want you to activate you Byakugan for a few seconds."

Hinata nodded. "That is the first time he has asked me to do that." She formed the hand seals. "Byakugan."

Hinata leaned back a bit when Arashi moved right in front of her face. This only made him close the distance further. "Hinata, do you know that you aren't feeding chakra into your Byakugan correctly. Your chakra control is near perfect in everything except in using your doujutsu."

Hinata's activated eyes widened. "W-why is th-that?"

"It is actually quite simple Hinata-chan. It is all about where you are focusing the chakra in your eyes. Your chakra is focused more on the center of your eyes. You should actually focus it on the sides of your eyes; the further from the center, the better. Take note that the section you should focus you chakra at is inside your eye sockets."

Hinata was dumbfounded by the overly simple explanation. She decided to do what Arashi asked her to do. When she had her chakra focused in the new location, her view on the world literally changed. She could see the chakra points on Arashi as if the were spotlights. Details were much crisper and cleaner. She could even see around eighty meters out instead of the usual fifty meters. To top that all off, her blind spot was even a little bit smaller. After marveling at her new insight, Hinata looked at Arashi inquisitively. "W-why hasn't my c-clan figured this o-out?"

"I have a theory on that. When first told to activate their Byakugan, a young Hyuga is told only to focus chakra in their eyes. It is up to this Hyuga to decide exactly where that chakra is focused. I think that the reason that some in your clan are more talented than others because of where their chakra first goes. Essentially, talent is decided merely by a fluke."

Hinata's expression became completely dumfounded. "Fl-fl-fl-fl-fl-fl-fl-fl-fl-fl." Arashi slapped her on the back. She gave him a small glare. "Arashi-shishō, y-you haven't answered m-my question."

"Your right, I haven't. My main theory is that as a Hyuga uses their Byakugan more in battle, their control over the chakra in their eyes slips a little. This would normally be bad, but this drop in control would actually cause the chakra to move further from the center; if only a little. After the fight, the chakra is focused on a spot between the previous position and the newer position. This is a very slow and unnoticeable process. This is why no one of your clan is aware of it."

Hinata couldn't believe her ears. She could believe her eyes though. The results speak for themselves. "After all this time and the answer was so simple. I had no talent because of a fluke. It wasn't me. It was never me. It was just a little bad luck. Now after a few mere minutes, my Byakugan is probably stronger than Neji-nii-san's." Hinata could not keep a fairly large smile from gracing her face.

Arashi looked at her expression with his own smile. "I am guessing that I just made her day." Arashi placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I could let you marvel at your new eyesight through the whole day, but I have other things planed for today. I would like you to deactivate you Byakugan right now." Hinata did as she was told. "For the next stage of your training, I will be using a very simple genjutsu. You are not to dispel it. You will instead use your own invented jutsu to deflect the illusionary projectiles that the genjutsu will make you see."

"H-how do you know a-about my jutsu?"

"Oh, that is a simple answer. I have seen you practice it many times in the middle of the night at that waterfall. It is the main reason that I chose you as my student."

A deep blush covered Hinata's face. "That means that Arashi-shishō has seen me _naked_." She was frozen in place, oblivious to the world. Arashi put his hand in front of her face and began snapping his fingers. This returned her from her semi-conscious state. She wrapped her arms in front of her chest and dropped to the stone slab. She positioned herself to hide as much of her body from Arashi as possible. "Don't look at me."

Arashi's eyes twitched in annoyance before a small smile graced his lips. "Her stuttering is nearly gone. Now I have something else to get rid of. That will be fun. Calm down Hinata-chan. It is not like I plan on doing anything with you. Also, it was too dark to see any real detail. Stand up so we can get back to your training." Hinata stood up, but she still hand her arms in front of her chest. Arashi let lose a sigh before moving to the edge of the slab. He then raced through some hand seals. "Ninja art, Tempest of Attacks." **The reason for the name will be revealed later.**

The next thing Hinata knew, she was being circled by hundreds of kunai. She activated her Byakugan for a better look. "This is a genjutsu. Even with my stronger Byakugan, each kunai looks like a real one."

"Hinata; you will not need your Byakugan for now. All of the kunai that will be sent at you will come from your normal visual range. Be rest assured; if any of these kunai hit you, it will disappear and you won't feel a thing. I created this jutsu specifically for the purpose of training you. They will start coming at you when you are ready."

Even though she couldn't see Arashi, she nodded at his words. Her arms left her chest and were positioned for the jutsu. "Protective Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms." As soon as she finished saying that, kunai began flying at her. She focused chakra in the palms of her hands and began to create the chakra blades. The first kunai quickly faded out of existence when it hit her solid chakra. The false kunai continued to fly at her with increasing speeds. After two minutes, she was being pushed to max speed. After she held this speed for about ten seconds, two faux kunai came from opposite ends of her vision. She had just enough time to create some chakra in front of them. Unfortunately, there was another that came in just outside of the reach of her right hand.

This kunai did hit her before disappearing like the rest. The sudden loss of confidence allowed three more to hit her before they stopped coming. She then heard Arashi's voice from behind the wall of kunai. "Do not fret over that mistake Hinata-chan. I purposefully had those three kunai attack you in a way so you wouldn't be able to block all of them using your jutsu the way you are. However, if you used your jutsu a bit differently, you can block that third kunai. You will understand the last few days when you accomplish what I want you to do."

"Now what is Arashi-shishō planning?" She did not have time to continue her thoughts as the faux kunai started flying at her again. She quickly got used to the fast pace that was set up. Like last time, two kunai came at her sides with another coming just out of her reach. Like last time, the kunai reached her. "What do I have to do?" The three kunai attack came at her again. She forced a little extra speed out of her arm; but doing so took away the concentration she needed to form a chakra blade in time. The kunai instead hit her bare hand. The next time, the third kunai was even further out of her reach. "I guess that I am not supposed to try harder. Think Hinata; it wouldn't make sense for Arashi-shishō to give me a task I can't do. What do I have to do different and what does it have to do with the last few days?" Her eyes widened when the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Because it was his genjutsu, Arashi could see inside the wall of kunai. He quickly took note of Hinata's quick change in expression. "It looks like she has figured it out. Time to give her a full test."

Hinata was now undaunted when she saw the pattern of kunai flying at her from both sides. "Four kunai shouldn't be much harder than three." She spread her hands wide and stretched them at her sides. She then swung her hands in front of the kunai's paths. The first pair of kunai was stopped by a blade of chakra that came out of her pinkies. Another pair of blades came out of her index fingers to stop the other pair of faux kunai. "This was your purpose Arashi-shishō."

"Very good Hinata-chan. Now I want you to get used to using your jutsu that way. Don't use the same finger each time. Get use to variety and maintain as much of your chakra control as possible. Try to last as long as possible."

Hinata's arms gracefully swept through the air as her fingers left behind blades of chakra to hold off the kunai. She did use the palms of her hands from time to time as well. Thanks to learning a new way to use her jutsu, Hinata was having a great deal of fun with the training. She hardly even noticed that her chakra started to run out over an hour later. "I lasted a lot longer than the four minutes I used to last, even if I was using chakra at a slower pace this time around. I really do have a lot more chakra."

"I think that it is time for the finally Hinata-chan. Let's see how you handle this."

Hinata saw all but a small number of the kunai disappear. She could clearly see the world outside that small area once again. The kunai stopped after being evenly distributed at her sides. Hinata then noticed that there were ten total. The kunai lowered before shooting at her midsection. Hinata brought her hands down before sweeping them back up at the last moment. The ten kunai were stopped by ten separate blades from her fingers. Her eyes widened when she heard them clang and saw them land on the ground. "Th-those were r-real."

"They were Hinata-chan. We are going to have to work a bit more on that jutsu. It may be best for you to learn how to avoid destroying every weapon that is sent at you. Those kunai are useless now. First we will work on reducing the power or increasing it. We will work on the size of each chakra blade after that. Each one is half a meter long, even though what you are blocking only hits a centimeter of your chakra."

"I g-guess that we are w-working on this tomorrow."

"Actually, no. We will be working on this the day after tomorrow. We are going into a village tomorrow morning and taking the day off. While you were training, I saw a road sign showing that there is a village straight ahead."

"I see." Hinata watched as Arashi jumped off of the platform and walked into the forest. She followed suit.

In the next day, Hinata slept much more than usual due to the fact that Arashi did not give her any chakra restoring supplements in the previous night. She walked out of her tent still groggy. She looked around to notice that everything but her tent was sealed up. There was also a breakfast prepared on a log. She walked over to it and ate. "I wonder where Arashi-shishō is." She finished the breakfast with her question unanswered.

A few moments later, Hinata heard a rustling of leaves to her right. She looked in time to see Arashi come into view. Her eyes widened and she blushed considerably at him. All Arashi was wearing was his pants. He was naked from the waist up. When he is wearing his shirt and windbreaker, he looks small and non-threatening like most shinobi. With those clothes of, Hinata saw the most intimidating sight she has ever seen in her short life. The muscles seemed too large for his skin. It looked as if simply flexing those muscles could rip Arashi apart from the inside out. She saw that he was sweaty, meaning that he was just training. "Good morning Hinata-chan."

Hinata was trapped in her thoughts as Arashi dressed and sealed her tent up. "H-how?"

Arashi chuckled. "If you are talking about the muscles, these are nothing. You should see what Akisame looks like with his clothes off. The guy looks like he will explode at any given moment."

Hinata performed a sweat-drop. "You look like you are going to explode." She blinked a bit when she heard Arashi sneeze. "Amazing, Akisame-san can really tell when Arashi-shishō is talking about him."

Hinata suddenly sneezed as well, at which Arashi laughed at. "I am guessing that Akisame found out that I have a disciple from how I am talking about him this often."

Hinata's jaw dropped. "Is that man even human."

"Let's go Hinata-chan." Arashi headed to the road and down it. Hinata followed him as usual. The village they found themselves in was just like any other with nothing special about it. He led her to a simple hotel. He walked to the desk and smiled at the woman there, who blushed in response. "Hello there, may we rent out a room for tonight. I would prefer that it has two beds."

"O-of course; that will be 1550." Arashi pulled out a wallet that obviously had a lot more money in it than was necessary. The woman took notice of this. "Ano, can't you afford somewhere better than this?"

"Hai, I can; but I chose to come here for two reasons. One, I am very frugal with my money. Two, I was attracted here by your pretty face." The woman blushed horribly at the rather blunt comment. Arashi placed the money on the desk and turned to Hinata. "Hinata-chan, can you take care of the rest. There was something that caught my eye that I have to check on. I'll come back and just ask this beauty what the room number is."

Hinata nodded as Arashi walked away. She walked up to the desk and waited for the woman to find the keys for the room. The woman placed the keys on the desk and gave Hinata a curious glance. "Can you tell me his name?"

"H-hai, i-it is Arashi Ayama."

She smiled and blushed. "That is a nice name. Here are your keys." The woman handed the keys to Hinata. She noticed that the key also had the room number on it. The woman watched as Hinata went to find the room. "She must be his daughter. That girl looks like she is raised well."

Hinata walked up the stairs to the level three where her room should be. As she walked through the halls, one of the doors opened up. The man that came out looked overly serious when he looked at her. Hinata's eyes widened when she got a good look at him. He spoke in a deep voice. "Well, well, if it isn't a Hyuga of the main branch."

The thing about him that scared her the most was the headband with the image of two clouds on it. "A Kumo shinobi."

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**Well, that is a cliffhanger. I think I am getting better at them. I love these random ideas that just seem to fit in my story. PS: If things keep progressing as they are now, I may start missing updates within the year. Lets hope that doesn't happen.**

**Next chapter: Surprising Events.**


	26. Surprising Events: Chapter 26

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." The use of leaves attached to Hinata's fingers was added to the training exercise of standing on water. Arashi of course, couldn't have her only holding the leaves in place. This form of training continued for a few days. After that, he formed a new platform out of stone then asked Hinata to activate her Byakugan. This led to massive improvement on Hinata's part when Arashi pointed out a mistake in how she was using her chakra. After that, they started training on Hinata's original jutsu. This was done with a genjutsu that made her see large numbers of kunai surrounding her. She created barriers of chakra to defend herself as if they were real. Thanks to some special placement of these kunai, Hinata figured out that she could use her jutsu through her fingertips. The day after this discovery, the pair went into a village. They immediately found an inn and bought a room. Arashi left Hinata alone due to something catching his eye. Hinata ran into an unexpected surprise on the way to her room; a Kumo shinobi."

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**I didn't get very much love for the previous chapter. I only got three reviews for it. I expected the numbers to reach five. Oh well; I am sure this chapter will get a lot more reactions.**

"**Surprising Events"**

The Kumo shinobi smirked at his unexpected discovery. "What's your name little Hyuga? Aren't you a little far away from your cushy clan compound? Come to think of it, shouldn't you be at one of those ritzier hotels? I can't imagine a pampered princess in a dump like this." He chuckled at her darkly. "Oh well, it's not like I'm complaining."

Hinata was terrified at the man before her. "This isn't good. Why did it have to be a Kumo shinobi? Can I fight him? But, if he is a jonin, I won't stand a chance. Here's hoping." Hinata took up a Jūken stance with her body trembling slightly. This allowed Hinata to realize that she was still low on chakra. "I definitely can't beat him now."

He chuckled again. "Kawaii, are you actually going to fight me. Against a jonin like me, a runt like you doesn't stand a chance."

This confirmed Hinata's fears. "What's this then?" The sudden voice gave her a wave of relief. She turned around to see her shishō approaching.

The jonin looked at the newcomer with a half-glaring, half-inquisitive stare. As soon as Arashi reached him, they locked eyes. "Who are y…?" The man's eyes widened considerably. "Arashi-dono, is that you?" **Dono is an honorific on a higher level than sama.**

(Hinata looked at the following conversation with a dumfounded expression with one thing on her mind. "What is going on here?")

"Hai, it is I; the very man who visited Kumo around six years ago. How is the muscle head doing?"

The man laughed loudly. "Only you would refer to Raikage-sama as a muscle head. He is doing well, but still having trouble keeping his brother in line. Maybe you should come back and help out. I swear; Kirābī-sama would listen to you more than his own leader and brother." **Kir****ā****b****ī**** is the original Japanese pronunciation for the English Killerbee.**

Arashi laughed at this. "Yeah, I guess that he who can't use just one sword owes a lot to me as does Nii Yugito. Speaking of her, how is she. I am sure that she has grown into quite the beautiful young woman. I am also sure that she is beating off some of those braver men with a stick."

The jonin laughed at this. "Hai, but I wouldn't say that she is using a stick. I will say that only two men tried before they _all_ got the message."

The laughing continued on Arashi's part. "That sounds just like her. Now back to the big guy. Has he mentioned me much?"

"That is an understatement. Based on what I hear, he can't go a week without declaring how much he wants to spar with you. Kirābī-sama and Yugito-sama feel exactly the same way. You'll have your hands full if you go back to Kumo."

Arashi laughed again. "I knew this would be true the moment I left Kumo. Now back to current events. What where you doing with this little Hyuga here?"

"I am just giving her a little scare. I could tell by the age and her appearance that she was the same one that we tried to kidnap over ten years ago. Is she with you?"

"Hai; I _hired_ her as my guard, but in all honesty, she is my disciple."

"Arashi-dono, isn't Konoha strong enough already. Once you get done with her, Konoha might have a new Sanin class shinobi."

Arashi began waving his hands dismissively. "I am not that good. I only have her for three years. I'd need four years to reach that goal." Arashi turned towards Hinata. "I would like you to go to the room right now. This may take a while. I will be there when I am done here. You will receive and explanation for all of this then."

Hinata snapped out of her stupor after being addressed. She walked down the hall, but not without giving the Kumo shinobi a nervous glance. "Didn't the Sanin become as strong as they are now when they were in their forties?"

Arashi turned back to the jonin with a more serious expression. "There is more to me than training Hinata. Because I am a man, they were apprehensive about letting me take her. One of the things I promised them for this chance is that I will become a shinobi of their village."

The jonin's eyes widened. "NANI? I apologize for my words, but are you crazy. You are a hero in Kumo. You can easily take the status of Raikage or Head-Ninja, if not Daimyo. If you go to Konoha, you will just be a jonin. A really strong jonin, but a jonin nether-less. You are much better than that Arashi-dono."

Arashi showed the jonin his palm to silence him. "This is my choice. You need to look at this from a different angle. With me as a shinobi of Konoha, it would be a great base for a strong alliance between Konoha and Kumo. Because Suna is also an ally of Konoha, they will be added in as well. With two allies as strong as that, Kumo will come out of it much better than if I became a shinobi of Kumo."

The man released a sigh. "Even so, the people miss you. You were like a light on those always cloudy days. You had a way of bringing enjoyment to those around you without trying. It is obvious that this ability has not diminished."

Arashi chuckled a little. "Just to let you know, I want to keep you meeting me completely secret. I plan on visiting Kumo later and making it a surprise to everyone."

The jonin nodded. "Hai Arashi-sama, I am one of the many who owes their livelihoods to you. They will not know a thing until you arrive. I hope you make it a joyous occasion."

"Good. Now, why don't you continue on the mission you are on while I go to Hinata-chan? I am sure that her mind is swimming with questions."

"Hai, I shall await your arrival."

Arashi nodded and walked down the hall. He eventually found the room he was looking for. When he opened the door, he saw Hinata giving him a strongly curious stare. "I don't even have to ask to know that you want answers." Hinata nodded at him. "I am sure you remember how I said that I went on a training trip over fourteen years ago. Three of those years were up when I started training at Ryōzanpaku. I returned to the elemental nations just over six years ago after training there for over four years."

Hinata nodded in understanding. "D-did you go to K-Kumo after that."

"Hai, Kumo was my first destination. I am sure that you know that everyone's chakra is aligned with a different element. Mine is aligned with lighting. There is no better place to learn powerful lightning jutsu than in Kumo. When I arrived, I was treated very suspiciously. Actually, they wouldn't even let me in the village. I didn't let that stop me. I snuck my way in and started gathering information on the state of the village. That is all you'll hear today."

Hinata's mouth dropped for a second. "Nani, you can't do _that_! I almost yelled there, but that would disturb the other people."

Arashi laughed at her. "I was only joking. Now back to the story. The Raikage and the council at the time were furiously trying to increase the military power of the village. When not on missions, shinobi were forced to train during every possible spare moment. If there bodies became too tired and there chakra levels became too low for anymore training, then the shinobi were put through horrible genjutsu torture. I know because I let myself experience it once. This continued for the person until their mind is near breaking point or until the day is up. For many, an S-ranked suicide mission was actually preferable."

"Th-that is horrible."

"Please Hinata-chan, I just getting started. The civilians didn't have it much better off either. Every man had to have some kind of job that would bring money to the village. If he failed to do so within the village, he is killed for the simple reason that it costs the village money to feed, clothe, and shelter him. On those subjects, everyone's money went strait to the village. Every person was given only just enough of each to survive in good health. It wasn't always comfortable. If you earned enough money for the village, you _may_ receive a luxury that was gained through a trade from outside villages. All in all, a very bleak lifestyle."

"I-is there more."

"You bet your Byakugan there is. I only talked about the civilian men. If a woman doesn't become a kunoichi, she is automatically made into a vessel for future shinobi. Even then, she is forced to get a job that can aid the village. Unfortunately, because all men were forced to get a job, there were only a few jobs available for women. One of these jobs is as at one of the many spas that were the source of a large amount of Kumo's income. If these are taken, then the woman is made into a whore. If she tries to resist in the slightest, she is put under the same genjutsu torture that the shinobi are put through. Remember; these are civilians that I am talking about now. They have nowhere near the mental or physical strength we have. Once a woman hits menopause, _if she hits menopause_, she will most likely become a nurse for all the babies that all the other women are having. If a woman isn't a masseuse by this age and are unable to become a competent nurse, they are immediately killed."

Hinata was now on the verge of tears. "This is horrible. _I_ could have been one of these women."

"The village leaders had other plans for increasing their power as well. During the time that this regiment was in place, those with Kekkei-Genkai were running away from Kiri. Learning this, Kumo sent many of it's shinobi out on missions to find these people and bring them back to the village. They were successful in capturing quite a few. These men were told to become both shinobi and husbands with multiple wives. If it was felt that he wasn't giving them enough descendants, he was given more wives, where they wanted it or not. Any man who refused was strapped to a bed as one of the village's women rapes him. If she refused, it was genjutsu. This genjutsu is common because a person isn't killed until they are completely useless. Women with Kekkei-Genkai live just like civilian women."

"I-it can't p-possible get worse."

Arashi let out a chuckle that had no humor. "That is where you are wrong. I told you many times on how the useless are killed. Even then, the leaders try to get some use out of them. They are buried under the farms that feed the village as fertilizer. If there isn't enough room in the fields for them, then these men and women are added to the rations of both civilian and shinobi. This was the best kept secret in the village. Those who did this work were kept under tight guard. No one on the outside had a clue."

Hinata placed her hand over her mouth and dry-heaved. "That is revolting."

"After learning of all of this in the first few days thanks to methods I won't reveal to you yet, I decided to deal with the problem directly. I first waited until I was certain that the village leaders were in a meeting. After disabling the guards, I walked right in there. They yelled at me about disrespect and crap like that, but I silenced them with a nice burst of killer intent. I walked straight up to the Raikage, looked him eye to eye, turned my Keikigan off and on, and then spoke to him loud enough for everyone to hear. I said… I have a doujutsu and you can't have it."

Hinata went from half way to puking, to completely flabbergast. The line replayed in her head over and over enough for her to imagine Arashi actually doing it. She then fell over and began laughing so hard that neither sound nor air could escape her lungs. This continued for a while before she finally calmed down. Even then, the mirth in her voice was impossible to miss. "You didn't do all of that, didn't you? Knowing Arashi-shishō, he did."

"You're right; I didn't do all of that." Hinata looked at him seriously. Arashi took on a quick informative pose. "I also kissed him on the forehead."

Hinata started laughing once again. "It is too funny. I can't stop laughing." The laughter began to slow until the image of Arashi kissing an old Raikage on the forehead ran through her mind. This caused the laughter to start up again. The laughter began to slow again until finally reaching a stop. Hinata clutched her sides. "Itai, my sides hurt."

Arashi looked at her in slight surprise. "Don't tell me that this is the first time that you have laughed like that. Man, do I have some stories for you, but I guess that I should finish this story first. As you can imagine, every single village leader went bug-eyed at my audacity." Hinata couldn't keep another snicker from coming out. "They first thing those men did was attack me. Unfortunately for them, age tends to catch up with shinobi. It was easy to make sure that they could never again harm another the way they have been doing."

"Y-you k-killed them, didn't you."

"Actually, I didn't. I used a very effective taijutsu that I learned from Hayato. With this attack, I was able to deal direct damage to the memory centers of their brains. When using this attack, you can either target short-term memory or long-term memory. I actually gave them a chance to start what remained of their lives over. On the day after I did this, I used it as a chance to collect everyone in the village in a central location. You can imagine that everyone was worried. They were surprised that I removed the memories of all of the village's leaders in a way that they can't be returned. I then declared that I would be taking temporary control over the village. They were either too overjoyed or too confused to say anything."

"Di-did someone try t-to stop you?"

"Hai, I had to keep my Seikūken active at all times to prevent getting hurt some. It takes ridiculous amounts of concentration to keep Seikūken active while even walking, so that was what I was doing most of the time. I hated going slow. Needless to say, all assassination attempts were failures. Of course, I didn't do all of this alone. There are limits to what one man can do."

"W-who helped you?"

"Did you forget how oppressed so many of the shinobi were. There were three who received the worse of it. The first was the current Raikage. He chose to go through the worse possible training, even worse than the next two. He did this because one of them was his younger brother. Because of this, he felt very protective over him the other two had over him. The other two were Kirābī and Nii Yugito. Those two were forced to keep up with the most intense physical regimen and deal with the worse genjutsu. The reason for this was that they were the village's Jinchūriki."

"Ano, wh-what is a Jinchūriki?"

"You know about the nine great demons that are ranked by the number of their tails. Sometimes, these demons are sealed inside of humans. That person's life as a human is sacrificed for power in that moment, hence the name Jinchūriki."

"Wh-what kind of person w-would choose this?"

"No one chooses to become a Jinchūriki. In order to become one, you must be a baby. The more powerful the demon, the younger you must be to be able to have it sealed in you successfully. If it doesn't work, the demon is release and will most likely be very pissed. The strength of the seal also plays a role. This is why the best seal masters and the youngest babies are preferred for use in most cases. In one of the cases where the best possible seal wasn't used, the Jinchūriki nearly escaped insanity. I am sure you remember him as Gaara."

"G-Gaara-kun; h-he's a Jinchūriki."

"Hai, he is; but that doesn't matter because he is now sane. You know, most people would overreact at the idea of humans with the powers of demons in them and assume that these people are demons themselves. They cannot see that these people are more like prisons and that the demons are prisoners."

"N-no Arashi-shishō, they aren't prisons. Th-they are as much of p-prisoners as the d-demons within th-them."

Arashi smiled at her words. "That was very well put Hinata-chan. I am proud to have you as my disciple."

"A-Arashi-shishō, c-can you tell m-me if th-there is a Jinchūriki in Konoha?"

"No Hinata-chan, I cannot say that there is a Jinchūriki in your village. That is technically not a lie. Thanks to my doujutsu, I knew that Naruto Uzumaki was the container of the Kyūbi no Yōkō the moment I first saw him. Telling her about Naruto is one of the few things I would have to force myself to tell her. I wonder how she will react."

Hinata looked down dejectedly. "I guess that The Yondaime truly did kill the Kyūbi."

Arashi began patting Hinata on the shoulders. "No need to have such a long face Hinata-chan. Let's enjoy this town for all it's worth and get back to training. I have plans for the upcoming months. As for the end of the story, I restored peace and stability before placing the hat upon the current Raikage's head."

* * *

**That comment to the Raikage was on ten different levels of priceless. I had trouble writing it because I was laughing too much.**

**Next Chapter: Best Present Ever.**


	27. Best Present Ever: Chapter 27

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

_**I may …create-something.. improvised-by- … combining-the.. above.**_

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." During an unexpected meeting with a Kumo jonin, Arashi interrupts. It is then revealed that Arashi has once visited Kumo. It is also revealed that he is a hero in the village after ending a tyrannical regime and choosing the new Raikage. This information along with knowledge of Jinchūriki comes as a great surprise to Hinata. They spent the remainder of the day relaxing before heading off for more training.)

* * *

**You readers can't imagine the surprise I felt when this chapter's release date would have normally been just a day later from today. It was too perfect of a chance to pass up. On top of that, the chapter's number also matches up. I totally wish I planed this all out from the beginning. If I did, I would be a time management genius. It was all luck however. The next chapter will be on the fourth of January.**

"**Best Present Ever"**

**This chapter's release date is December 27, 2008.**

Hinata shivered as the cold nipped at her exposed skin. A large part of her was very happy that she had taken up the habit of always wearing a jacket. Memories of the last seven months filled her head.

**Flashback to around seven months ago.**

"Hinata-chan, there are many different types of attacks that can be launched at you. Your defensive jutsu, which has a name I will not repeat because of how bad it is, is capable of handling almost any form of attack."

"Wait, how is the name b-bad?"

"She almost made it though that sentence. The only part of it that should stay is the Eight-Trigram part, if only because it is based on the same principles as other Hyuga jutsu. My problem is with the rest of the jutsu's name. It takes too long to say and does not give the jutsu a proper description. You don't exactly use your palms anymore and the numbers of chakra blades you make are far above sixty-four. I think you should call your jutsu Eight-Trigrams: Chakra Blade Barrier."

Hinata sighed. "I-I guess that it makes m-more sense that w-way."

"Awesome, now back to the main point. The versatility of your jutsu makes it possible for you to defend against almost anything at will. This means more than just kunai." Arashi moved to the edge of the platform and began his genjutsu. "Ninja Art: Tempest of Attacks."

This time around, Hinata could see a lot more than simple kunai surrounding her. There were shuriken, demon windmills, senbon, katana of many different shapes and sizes, maces, tanto, tonfa, kusarigama with sickles on both ends and in normal form with iron weights, fireballs, globs of water, giant rocks, bolts of lightning, and ethereal blades. One thing that caught her eyes was a large dark blue sword that looked like a bunch of scales overlapping each other. "This is a lot of stuff."

"As you can see Hinata-chan, there are few attacks that your jutsu would have much trouble with. I did toss in something your jutsu would stand no chance against. For weapons, you must first take into account how strong the person using it is. A katana in the hands of a jonin will be much stronger than the same katana in the hands of a chunin. You must also take into account the size and shape of the weapon. Large sizes will have a lot more power and strange shapes may be able to slide past your defenses."

"Hai."

"Jutsu attacks can be defended against in their own ways. For fire element, you don't have to create chakra blades that are very dense in chakra. As long as you cover most of the area the flames do, you should be fine. For water, you should make your chakra unstable and fire it into the water so it will explode harmlessly. Large water attacks should still be avoided. For earth, make your chakra split it in half and use two more to spread the pieces away from you. If it is mud, do the same thing as with water. Lighting will be a bit trickier. You must create a large amount of chakra that starts where the attack hits and leads to the ground. Make sure it is very dense and that it reaches the ground. For wind, you must attack its epicenter. For the wind blades, you must create a chakra blade that goes all along its length and is right in the center. A thicker blade will have more effect as a defense."

**End of flashback.**

The nearly fourteen Hinata released a sigh. "It would have been better if Arashi-shishō warned me about that blue sword. How was I supposed to know that it ate chakra? He just loves messing with me."

**Flashback to five months ago.**

"Alright Hinata-chan, your chakra reserves have increased enough for you to start training on a water's surface again. Because I am sick of moving around right now, we will train at this nice waterfall location. You will train until you can no longer remain afloat. Because your clothes will get wet, I decided to make you this bathing suit." Hinata watched and blushed as Arashi pulled out a nice little two piece that was lavender with white lace around the outsides. "What do you think? I think it reminds me of your eyes." The dreamy voice he used creeped her out.

"I can't wear that."

"Why not, I have seen you in just your bra and panties."

"THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"I don't care. It isn't like there is someone else here. It is just you and me. Now get changed; shishō's orders."

"A-all right, but no peeking."

"You are going to have to get over that kind of stuff eventually. Why not start now. I am _not_ looking away."

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE ME NAKED!"

She flinched back at his smirk. "Will this help?" He quickly formed a hand-seal. "Transform."

Hinata blushed horribly when she saw a perfect recreation of Naruto Uzumaki right in front of her. He bounded up and spoke excitedly. "Come on Hinata-chan. I have been waiting to see this forever." Hinata blushed bright red and fell over in a dead faint.

**Flashback end.**

Hinata released yet another sigh. "Arashi-shishō may annoy me all the time, but he still has some decency. He _did_ put on a blindfold after waking me up. That way, he didn't have to look away and I could watch him for any peeking. He was still annoying; but he does it with _some_ purpose."

**Flashback to four months ago.**

"Okay Hinata-chan. It is time to get rid of your stutter. You are almost there. All you need is a little push."

"H-how are you g-going to do that?" Arashi just stared at her blankly. "Ano, A-Arashi-shishō." His expression remained unchanged, which started to annoy Hinata. "A-are you there?" Now she was getting ticked; _again._ "Why won't you listen to me?"

"Every time that you speak with a stutter, I will ignore you."

**Flashback end.**

"He managed to get rid of my infamous stutter in just a week. Anytime that it slips out again; he never fails to notice. There is no denying that Arashi-shishō knows exactly what he is doing. My chakra reserves have risen to a point to where I can train with my Byakugan active. I should have expected Arashi-shishō to make _that_ discovery. I _am_ surprised that he didn't already know."

**Flashback to two months ago.**

Hinata was once again on a flat moving surface. "Hinata-chan, we will now get started on training you with your Byakugan active. I hope everything I send at you looks like it should. We will start off with just kunai today."

Hinata smiled nicely at this info. "It is about time." Arashi started up his jutsu and watched Hinata carefully as she deflected most of the kunai that he sent at her. His chakra blue eyes narrowed at her. When Hinata saw that the genjutsu was dispelled, she checked how her stomach felt. She looked at the man with her. "Arashi-shishō, it isn't lunch time already. Why did you stop?"

"That is very simple Hinata-chan. I am surprised that your clan managed to hide this from me. I guess that it is hard to find something if you aren't looking for it."

"What are you talking about Arashi-shishō?"

"I am talking about the blind spot that you have in the middle of your neck." Arashi took quick notice of the slightly worried expression on Hinata's face. "There is no need for that. Considering your clan, it is understandable that they try and cover up that tiny little weakness as well as possible. Let me assure you, I have absolutely nothing to gain from telling anyone about this. This secret is safe with me."

Hinata let out a sigh of relief. "That is good."

"I always wondered why your clan had all of its members grow their hair out. For a chunin level shinobi, that is a large enough target to aim for and hit. As you are now, it would take someone of high-chunin to low-jonin level in prediction and aim to hit that spot. If you had long hair, the difficulty would rise to low to mid-jonin. We are going to stop trimming your hair now. It should be enough to defend that spot."

**Flashback end.**

"Despite his quirks, I trust Arashi-shishō completely. He is obviously working hard on my training. I shouldn't blame him for wanting a few laughs here and there. Still, I wish that he would stop surprising me."

**Flashback to a week ago.**

Hinata and Arashi stood on a dock with five large wooden boats stationed there. It was very chilly considering that they were on the northernmost point in the Elemental Nations. Hinata looked at Arashi as he looked out to see. "Arashi-shishō, why didn't we do any training yesterday? If we are going on a boat, wouldn't it make sense to train me harder?"

Arashi took out a compass, much to Hinata's surprise. "Okay, our destination is North by Northeast of here. It should take about eighteen hours to arrive."

"Wow, eighteen hours. Can a boat be that fast." Her eyes widened in realization. She then stomped her foot loudly. "NO; I AM NOT DOING IT! THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO MAKE ME DO THAT!"

Arashi looked at her with a large smirk. "Did you forget that I am a lot stronger than you? You have no choice in the matter. Regardless, it will be fun."

**Flashback end.**

"Arashi-shishō and I are probably the first shinobi to cross the ocean between the Elemental Nations and Yuki no Kuni on foot." Hinata released a sigh. "Why does Arashi-shishō have to be so crazy?" **Yuki no Kuni translates into Land of Snow.**

"We will rest for tonight Hinata-chan." Arashi quickly unsealed a large single tent. Unlike the two they had privately, this tent was thermal. Hinata had no real complaints about this anymore. She was just happy to be able to sleep comfortably. Arashi didn't care whether she was modest or not anyways. She still made sure to wear her thick pajamas to bed however.

Hinata walked into the tent and prepared for sleep. Right on cue, Arashi walked into the tent the instant she was fully dressed in her sleepwear. He wore only a pair of pajama bottoms and the underwear underneath. He was bare from the ankle down and the waist up. "How he can stand being so exposed out in that weather, I'll never know." Arashi gave her a small smile before crawling into his sleeping bag. Hinata entered hers, which was much smaller than his. Sleep quickly claimed her.

The instant Arashi knew that Hinata was asleep; he crawled out of his sleeping bag and put on his normal clothes at high speed. He looked down at Hinata with an affectionate smile. "I hope that you enjoy tomorrow as much as I think you will. Tomorrow is a special day for you after all." Arashi quickly opened the tent so he could walk out and closed it just as quickly. "Being me is just too much fun." He disappeared in a burst of speed.

As per usual, Hinata found herself waking up alone in the tent. She ran her fingers through her shoulder length hair before dressing in her usual beige jacket. This wasn't as easy as usual considering that she was getting bigger in more ways than one. "I hope that I get something new to wear soon. This jacket is a bit small."

She walked to the tents exit and opened it. As she expected, Arashi was standing their waiting for her. The instant she stepped out, Arashi sealed the tent away. Hinata sighed at the knowledge that she wasn't going to get any warmer from there. "Follow me Hinata-chan. We are heading into a large village. It should be fairly warm there. I want to get there as soon as possible."

Hinata blinked a few times. "When you are with Arashi Ayama, never expect anything. Something different will wind up happening. At least this time it was a good thing." She chased after as soon as he started running. It wasn't difficult for her to keep up. "That's weird. Usually when we run, he runs right at my maximum speed." She increased her speed so she can be at Arashi's side. "Why are we going so slowly?"

Arashi chuckled a little. "I am guessing that you don't know what today is. That this will make what I have planed for today even more of a surprise. I can't wait to see the expressions you will show. They will make coming here so worth it."

Hinata scowled at him. "Great, he's got something else up his sleeves." Hinata released a sigh. "There is absolutely nothing I can do about it so I might as well go along."

It didn't take Hinata long to notice that the weather was starting to get very warm very quickly. "We're almost there Hinata-chan. You are in for quite a treat."

After a few more moments, they reached the top of a hill that overlooked a fairly large village. This village was completely unlike the area around it. There was not a speck of snow to be seen anywhere. The spring time appearance confused Hinata. "It is almost like stepping into another world. Regardless, after seeing so much snow; this is beautiful."

Arashi laughed at her. "There is more coming Hinata-chan." He reached into his coat. "Put this on Hinata-chan. I am sure that you miss it."

Hinata looked over to see Arashi holding her village headband. "Nani, didn't you say that I shouldn't wear that."

"Don't worry Hinata-chan. It is safe here. Just put it on before I put it on for you." Hinata gave Arashi an annoyed glance but did as she was told.

As soon as she was wearing it, they began walking into the village. Hinata quickly began to notice that whenever someone looked at her, they smiled at her. Regardless of the kindness in their smiles, they were starting to weird her out. "Why is everyone smiling at me like that?" She was so focused on this that she didn't notice where Arashi was leading her. They eventually reached a large palace fit for a Daimyo. "What are we doing here Arashi-shishō?"

"We are here to see a new friend." Arashi walked ahead, leaving Hinata to think on the puzzling answer. When he reached the top of the stairs, he began to speak to the guard. "I am Arashi Ayama. I have requested a meeting with Kazahana-dono for this time."

The guard looked down at a book and looked through it. "Your name checks out. Don't cause any trouble. Kazahana-dono is very busy."

"Hai. Me, not cause trouble. Yeah, that would be a first." Hinata, who caught up in time to hear those words, was having the same thoughts. The guard opened the doors for the pair.

They walked down the hall until they reached a large room. Seated on the other end of this room was a beautiful woman with long dark hair and blue eyes. The kimono she wore helped add to that beauty. Hinata's eyes widened. "Is that who I think it is?" She stepped forward with a confused expression. "You are Yukie Fujikaze, the famous movie actress."

"That is both true and false. Yukie Fujikaze was just an alias. My true name is Koyuki Kazahana. I am the Daimyo of this land."

Hinata's eyes widened considerably. She immediately began sitting on her knees before bowing in woman's direction. "Gomen Kazahana-dono. I wasn't aware. Please forgive me for my impudence." She looked at Arashi's eyes with a glare.

He shrugged at her. "The most you will get out of me is calling her Kazahana-dono."

Koyuki laughed at them. "Do not worry about those formalities. I wish that you think of me as a friend."

Hinata looked up in surprise. "H-hai." She then stood up. Koyuki walked forward as she turned her gaze towards Arashi. Her eyes had some heat in them that Hinata noticed. "What did you do this time Arashi-shishō?"

"Arashi-san walked in on my bath right after I had a hard days work. He wouldn't leave until he was finished talking with me."

"_Arashi-shish__ō__._" She turned towards Koyuki with an apologetic expression. "I apologize on his behalf. If you just try to ignore his behavior, he won't do it as often."

"I do it less often because you won't be expecting it and I can get a rise out of you."

Hinata gave him a small glare. Her eyes once again became questioning. "Why are we meeting with a Daimyo?"

Arashi laughed a little. "We are here to see a movie."

"Why are we seeing a movie?"

"It is a gift. Don't you know that today is December the 27th?"

"Why does that matter…?" Her eyes widened again. "I am fourteen today."

Koyuki gave Arashi a sideways glance. "Well, that is one thing that you didn't lie to me about. I guess that I would be safe to say that the rest is true as well."

**Contained Flashback.**

Koyuki sunk into her bath water in order to hide her body. "So all I have to do is listen to you and you will leave me."

"Hai, you can't call your guards since I knocked them out." Arashi looked up absentmindedly. "You _see,_ I have traveling with me a girl who, considering that it is past midnight, has turned fourteen. I intend on giving her a memorable birthday."

"So all you want is an autograph."

"No, I want her to see the movie that is based off of the true events that lead to you becoming the Daimyo of this land."

"Couldn't you have just bought her the movie? It came out just a few weeks ago. You also didn't have to come here."

Arashi laughed some. "I did this for three reasons. One; as an actress, I am sure that you know that few things can beat the theater experience when first seeing a movie. I am sure you have something like that in this palace somewhere. Two; I wouldn't have had the enjoyment of barging in on you like this."

Arashi pause long enough for Koyuki to talk. "Those reasons aren't good enough for me to comply with your request. The third reason has to be a good one."

"It is. The girl I have with me is named Hinata Hyuga. She is a Konoha shinobi. The main reason I want her to see that movie is because for the years that I have known her, she has had an ever growing crush on Naruto."

Koyuki's eyes widened. "Naruto? You _are _talking about Naruto Uzumaki, aren't you?"

"The one and only."

She looked down with a small smile as she temporarily forgot about her mid-bath state. "Hinata-san has a good taste in men." She let out a small chuckle. "I will accept your request only if you leave now." She looked up to find Arashi gone. She blinked a few times. "That was fast."

**Flashback end.**

They continued walking until they reached a room that looked like a top of the line theater. Arashi jumped forward and landed on a seat near the very center of the whole room. Koyuki simply walked to the same row and sat to his right with a seat between them. Hinata decided that this seat was meant for her. Once they were seated, Koyuki raised her hand. This signaled a man in the back to dim the lights and start the movie.** I do not plan on writing out the whole movie.**

Arashi and Koyuki smiled as they watched the many expressions that appeared on Hinata's face as she watched the movie. She blushed brightly when she saw that Naruto was a main character. She laughed when she saw Naruto chasing Koyuki for an autograph. She looked impressed when she saw Naruto stop the big guy's mechanical punch. She let out a sigh of relief when Naruto narrowly avoided being hit by a train. She cried when all those men were killed by the large number of kunai and when Naruto was chained up. She blushed at his attempts to escape. She became starry-eyed when he finished Doto with the rainbow colored Rasengan. She gave Koyuki a small glare when she saw the picture of her kissing Naruto's cheek. She merely laughed nervously at this. When they left the room, Arashi gave Hinata an affectionate look. "How did you like your present Hinata-chan?"

She jumped at him and hugged without warning. "It was the best present ever."

Arashi smiled before looking at Koyuki. "Do you have somewhere where each of us can stay for the night?"

"Hai, I can. They should be ready tonight. I will have some servants show you where they are. Until then, why don't you look around the village?"

"Arigato Koyuki-chan. We will be back then." The pair walked around the village, making sure to drop by any place that was of interest to Hinata. Once it was dark, they began heading back to the palace. "Hinata-chan, I have another present for you."

Hinata blinked a few times as she looked at him. "You didn't have to get me anything. Today was the best birthday I have ever had."

"Hai, but if you haven't noticed, your clothes are getting a bit small on you. Did you forget that I am also a tailor?" Arashi pulled out a fairly large box and handed it to Hinata. "I expect you see you in it tomorrow morning. I put a lot of work into it."

"Hai, I promise Arashi-shishō."

They arrived at the palace where one guard showed each of them to a different room. Once Arashi was prepared for bed, he crawled in. "Now that she is growing into a beautiful young woman, I have to prepare her for things that could happen. She won't like me for it." Arashi released his signature chuckle. "This is going to be fun."

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**I am so happy that this chapter could be prepared for this date. This is chapter twenty-seven. This chapter was released December the twenty-seventh. Hinata's birthday is December the twenty-seventh. This was too perfect of a chance to pass up. Read, review, and check out what is below.**

**Next Chapter: A Talk and Pebbles.**

**(10: "Eyes of the Harbinger"**

**Through pain and misery, he was given power. Through sadness and fear, he was given strength. Now, Naruto stands, as the first person to be gifted with the eyes of a Shinigami. ****The average chapter size is about 5,059 words at the time.**

**To make my favorites, a story has to have a singular wow moment with a good lead up. This can be seen in chapter nine. The chapters leading up to it have Naruto going through the worse treatment he could possibly go through. That is what being kidnapped by Orochimaru will do. Forced to grow up with such a horrible past, how sane will this new Naruto be; and what measures will be taken to protect what ****of his sanity ****is left?)**


	28. Talk and Pebbles: Chapter 28

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." After many months training with Arashi, Hinata found herself in Yuki no Kuni. She used this time to reminisce about those months. Once she finished, they went to sleep. As she slept, Arashi went off on a midnight excursion. On the next day, they entered a spring village. While there, they met up with Koyuki. After some light conversation, they went into her private theater where they watched a movie with Naruto in it. The day ended with the very happy Hinata receiving a new outfit.)

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"**Talk and Pebbles"**

Arashi woke up as happy as can be. When he dressed himself, he left the room and practically skipped to where he knew Hinata would be. He waited outside the door with patients. He noticed the doorknob turn very slightly. He took this as a cue to grab the door handle and push the door forward enough so it can't be locked. He heard a sigh and Hinata stepping back. "Good morning Hinata-chan."

Hinata's eye twitched. "I should have used my Byakugan to check behind the door."

Arashi smiled at her. "The new outfit looks good on you. It has this teasing effect that would drive a good number of teens wild." Hinata wore slightly baggy navy pants that tightened at her ankles. She also wore a new jacket that was far less bulky than the previous one. Most of the jacket was white with a slight grey tint. Excluding the cuffs, the sleeves were a dark lavender color. This color continued up the sleeves and under her collarbone. It formed a wide V. The bottom of this V was right where her cleavage would start. There were two dark lavender half-ovals on her sides that accented her hips. The zipper in the center also had dark lavender around it that stopped at the V shape. "If only there wasn't a twenty year difference between our ages." **The only real change from Shippuuden Hinata is the length of the pants and the jackets design.**

Hinata blushed at Arashi's comment. "Why did you have to make me something like this?"

Arashi waved his hands dismissively. "You'll get used to it. Just be glad I didn't put you in something that Anko Mitarashi wears. That wouldn't be good for the winter weather anyways. It would be funny to see you in it though."

Hinata glared at him as a deeper blush covered her face. "Calm down, he is just trying to get another rise out of you."

Arashi laughed as he turned around. "Let's go tell Koyuki-chan that we are leaving. I want to get back to the mainland as soon a possible. That alone will be fun." The pair walked on until they came across a male servant. "Can you tell us if Kazahana-dono is in the palace right now?"

"She is not I am afraid. Do you need to see her?"

"No, that is not necessary. She will be wondering where we have gone though. If she asks, make sure to tell her that Arashi and Hinata have left to continue training."

"Hai, I will." He watched as the pair left. He couldn't keep himself from giving Hinata an extra look. He shook those thought out of his head and continued along his business.

"Hinata-chan, I do want to get to the mainland as soon as possible. Let's go now."

Arashi jumped up and made his way out of the area from the roofs. Hinata quickly followed knowing that she was about to be left behind. "We are back to the usual routine again. This means that Arashi is going to do something unexpected that I should have seen coming."

It didn't take them long to reach the edge of the village. As soon as they did, Arashi suddenly turned around and grabbed Hinata. Holding her closely, he jumped high into the air. "HOLD ON TIGHT HINATA-CHAN!"

She looked down to see the trees a good distance below them. Without hesitation, she did as she was told. As soon as Arashi's feet touched the ground, the pair disappeared from view. If anyone was close enough to their path, they would have heard the sound of a girl screaming for only a second. "YOU'RE INSANE!"

Arashi just ignored her while running in a straight line, whether a tree was in the way or not. It only took them an hour to reach the shoreline. The sea's water exploded from the force of Arashi's feet. He hardly had to add any chakra remain afloat. Hinata was still holding on for dear life. Even though he was largely focused on running, Arashi still made sure to check Hinata's state. "I wonder how long it will take before all this speed knocks her out. I'll be surprised if she makes it."

He continued running as the mainland came into view around four hours later. Arashi built up a large amount of power into his legs and leapt into the air. The forward and upward momentum carried him an enormous distance. Before landing, he had to perform a few bounces to stabilize his speed. After stopping, he placed Hinata down so that her back was against a tree. Hinata was completely dazed as spirals spun in her eyes. Arashi smirked at this sight. "Time to make sure that she doesn't give me any trouble." He pulled on some rope that came out of nowhere.

Hinata's eyes opened slowly. When she began to move, she found out that she couldn't. In the moment of panic, she was able to see that she is tied to a tree. She became very worried. "ARASHI-SHISHŌ!"

"Up hear Hinata-chan." There was obvious mirth in his voice.

Hinata glared at him. "Why did you tie me up?"

"So you can't run off silly."

She glared at him harder. "And why would I want to run off?"

Arashi chuckled at her. "You are now fourteen years old. Can you tell me who has told you about sex and what they told you?"

Hinata's mouth dropped considerably. "S-s-s-s-s-s-s."

"Don't worry; it is just going to be a little talk."

**Regardless of how much I want to write the embarrassment, I don't think that it would fall under Fan-fiction's rating standards. Just because others do it, doesn't mean I should. I will say that I have a link to a website that debunks a large number of myths around intercourse in my profile.**

Hinata was bushing horribly as Arashi cut the ropes that held her to that tree. "I can't believe that you have been told so much crap concerning such an important part of human life. I blame society for this. It is a good thing I exist to give you the right information."

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO TIE ME TO A TREE!"

Arashi looked up absentmindedly. "Your right, I didn't." Hinata's fist began trembling at her sides. "Let's go Hinata-chan. We still have some training to do today." Arashi bent down and picked a pebble off of the ground.

He lazily tossed it over to Hinata. "What do I do with this?"

Arashi turned around with a pebble in his own hand. He held the pebble in the palm of one hand and placed the other hand over it. After just a second, Arashi brought his hands and blew into them. What came out was a small cloud of grey dust. "Hinata-chan, I want you to use your chakra, and only your chakra, to turn that pebble into dust. When you are successful, I will have you progress to the second and final stage. Let me tell you this now. I expect this to take a while. Don't be disappointed if you can't get this within the month."

"Within the month; is this really that difficult?"

"Hai, it is. I wouldn't be surprised if it takes you three months to master only the first stage. The second stage should take fifty percent longer. Conversely, I wouldn't be very surprised if you manage to do it in a week if you knew how to do it. I will give you a hint right now." Arashi took up an informative pose. "Do not do the first thing that comes to mind. You have already mastered what you need to know in order to turn the rock into dust."

Hinata looked at Arashi seriously. "I doubt that I will be getting anymore hints from him." She took a deep breath. "Okay, he always has some kind of hidden meaning in his words. Figuring out what those words are will bring me one step closer."

Hinata spent half the day contemplating on the words. She didn't even attempt to use her chakra on the pebble. This was starting to get on Arashi's nerves. "Hinata-chan, you aren't going to get anywhere with this training if you don't do anything. Even if what you do doesn't work; that just means that you have something you know won't work. You can try looking at it with your Byakugan as well."

Hinata nodded. "Hai, I understand." She activated her doujutsu and looked carefully at her hands. "The first thing that comes to mind is hardening my chakra and crushing the pebble with it. I doubt that it will work considering that Arashi said that I shouldn't try the first thing that comes to mind. He does have that way of controlling what I am thinking. The next thing that comes to mind is grinding it with my chakra."

Arashi watched out of the corner of his Keikigan as Hinata compressed the chakra in both palms. After that, she began to try and make the edges of the chakra rough. Arashi knew what would happen next and how well it would work out. As soon as Hinata began to will her chakra to grind the pebble, her chakra lost its roughness and just slid across the pebble. She tried this a few times before trying to move her hands instead of her chakra. "Hinata-chan, you are not allowed to move your hands. Did you see me move mine?"

About four days of this passed by with Hinata making absolutely no progress in turning the same pebble into dust. She has tried grinding the pebble, crushing it, and rolling it around. Anything else that came to her mind just seemed foolish.

Through these days, Arashi made sure to tell her when she could and couldn't have her Byakugan active. This made it so she ran out of chakra at the very end of the day. This was a source of frustration for Hinata because she never had the energy to attempt further midnight training. Hinata woke up on the fifth day with Arashi already gone. When she climbed out of her tent, Hinata heard a loud explosion like sound. She dashed over to check it out. What she saw in the location the sound came from was a massive boulder and Arashi without his upper garments. "What is Arashi-shishō doing?"

Arashi smirked as he felt Hinata's presence behind him. "Now that the spectator is here, it is time to give her a show."

The first thing Hinata knew was Arashi completely disappearing from her vision. The next thing she knew was holes being put into the massive boulder at a fairly slow yet random pace. Each hole she could see had very few cracks in it. "Arashi-shishō isn't hitting that boulder normally. Punches shouldn't have such a precise piercing effect." When Hinata activated her Byakugan, she realized how spot on she was with her previous thoughts. The holes from each attack almost went halfway through the boulder despite the fact that no part of Arashi was that long. "Arashi-shishō is truly a master of taijutsu. I wouldn't believe this if I weren't looking at it."

Arashi smirked harder. "That is it for the warm up." Arashi used his fist to punch in countless holes in just a few seconds. Arashi then appeared next to Hinata, leaving behind a rock that was riddled with holes. Arashi raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

Due to its loss of structural integrity, the boulder fell apart into a multitude of rocks. Hinata's eyes widened when the significance of this hit her. She pulled out the pebble in her pocket and placed it in-between her palms. She then fired tiny needles of chakra into the pebble. When she lifted the hand that blocked her view, Hinata saw that the pebble was broken into many smaller fragments. She smiled widely at this. "It's not dust, but it is closer than I have ever gotten."

At this moment, she realized a new problem. "Hinata-chan; you may need this." Arashi tossed her a fairly large pouch which she caught with some difficulty. "As you probably guess, that is a pouch that I made myself. I have filled it with the pebbles you will use in your training. Whether you finish your training with what's in there or not, you will empty that bag. You have mastered this when you can turn a pebble into dust in one attempt."

Hinata nodded in confirmation. "Hai, I understand Arashi-shishō." Hours of travel passed until it was approaching night time. Hinata watched in slight worry when Arashi suddenly placed a finger on his chin a looked up. "Please, not another stunt."

"You know, I don't know why; but I feel the sudden urge to enter the closest village." Hinata let out a sigh of relief that Arashi chuckled at. "I am going to take a look." Arashi lowered himself before launching himself in a powerful vertical jump. He searched the horizon for any sign of civilization. He noticed a curious campfire in the west and the village he was looking for to the southeast. "I'll send a Shadow Clone to check that out. I hope that it is bandits or some hostile ninja. Hinata needs some battle experience."

Arashi created the clone and tossed it in the direction of the camp fire. When he landed beside Hinata, she had no clue about the clone. As they approached the village, Arashi smirked again. "Perfect, just what I wanted. I don't think that they notice me either." When they entered the village, Arashi took out a smaller pouch and tossed it to Hinata. "That has a large amount of money in it. Feel free to rent a room from any kind of inn you want."

Hinata watched in slight confusion as Arashi skipped off down a road. What the road led to is what confused her. Knowing that Arashi can hear her without her yelling; Hinata avoiding doing so. "Do you know that you are heading for the red light district?" She saw Arashi stop mid-skip and look around at his surroundings. After shrugging, the man continued on his path. Hinata shook her head at this. "I will never understand that man." She walked in the opposite direction in search of an inn.

As Arashi continued to skip through the suggestive location, he noticed that he was catching the eyes of many provocatively dressed women. Either way, he couldn't care less. He stopped skipping and smirked when he heard loud laughter coming from a nearby building. "I don't even know that man very well, but I still know his laughter anywhere." He continued skipping in the direction of a very flashy building. When he entered, he saw the very man he was expecting being flanked by two women in tight fitting pink clothing. He walked up to the group and gave the man a coy smirk. "If it isn't Jiraiya of the legendary Sannin; it figures that I would run into you in a place like this."

The white haired man gave Arashi an annoyed glance. "Leave us alone, whoever you are. Can't you see that we are busy?"

Arashi only smirked harder in response. With only slight concentration, he focused some chakra into his center before letting it pulse forward. The pulse was strong enough for the women to notice. They backed away from Jiraiya in fear. The Sannin on the other hand, became very serious. "Could you ladies please leave us? The men here have to have a little talk. It shouldn't take too long." The women slowly backed away.

Jiraiya was however analyzing the man before him. "How can he be so intimidating without even giving off the tiniest bit of killer intent? Who in the world is this man and why don't I know anything about him. Now that you scared away my entertainment, I guess we can share some words. Let's start with names. You know mine but I don't know yours."

Arashi was just looking around absentmindedly. "I don't understand coming to places like this. The women come to you because they are being paid to or because they are hoping to get some money from you. There is no challenge in it. It is much more fun in my opinion to convince a lady to want to spend her time with you unconditionally." Jiraiya was starting to get annoyed at the mindless ranting. "As for my name; it is Arashi Ayama."

"What do you want me for? If you want to fight, I am not in the mood."

"Not at all whitey. I am just wondering where your little student is. Aren't you supposed to be training him?"

They heard a loud yell coming from a short distance. "WHERE IS YOU ERO-SENNIN? YOU ARE _SUPPOSED _TO BE TRAINING ME!"

Arashi laughed loudly for a second but quickly reined himself in. "Speak of the Jinchūriki and he shall arrive." Jiraiya responded to this by looking at Arashi with wide eyes.

Naruto barged into the building and pointed accusingly at the Sannin. "THERE YOU ARE!" The blond was no longer wearing that orange and blue jumpsuit from before. Instead, he was wearing a dark orange outfit with strategically placed thin black strips. Six strips over the abdomen made those who looked imagine strong muscles underneath. Another strip slightly curved under each side of his chest. A group of thinner strips were directly over Naruto's chest. Similar black threads were over the upper arm and on the forearms leading to the back of his hands. The obvious tiger theme combined with the whisker marks gave Naruto a very feral appearance.

Arashi smirked widely at his work. "Not a very subtle outfit, but who ever accused me of being subtle. It truly looks like that outfit was made for him and him alone." Arashi looked around to see how many of the women were eyeing the blond. The fact that seven out of nine were doing so boosted Arashi's ego. Arashi gave Naruto a little wave. "Hey there loudmouth; your timing is impeccable."

The blond glared at Arashi for a moment before a bit of familiarity dawned on his face. "_A-A-A_-Abachi?"

The blue eyed man took up an informative pose. "So Abachi is my name. I could have sworn that it was Arashi." He then took up a sheepish pose. "Boy do I feel stupid."

Naruto face-faulted while Jiraiya started laughing loudly. "I did not see that coming. Most would have been annoyed at the gaki, but this man made it a joke." Jiraiya had to stop laughing when a question came to him. "Hey, how did you two meet?"

Naruto stood up and looked towards Jiraiya while pointing at Arashi. "I ran into him back at Konoha."

"Nice choice of words Naruto. You should really watch where you are going when you are moving at that speed. You could really hurt someone."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Hump, I was in a hurry."

"You could have gone on the roofs. Certainly you weren't in such a hurry that you would forget something so simple."

Jiraiya watched as Naruto crossed his arms and growled a little. "Even though Naruto is getting a bit better with his behavior, I still would have expected an outburst from him. What is so different about this Arashi?"

Arashi clapped his hands to catch the pair's attention. He walked towards one of the walls and took out a sheet of paper that seemed to come from nowhere. He placed it on that wall and began writing on it at a speed that Naruto couldn't follow. He then put it in an envelope with a symbol on the front. After that, he turned towards Naruto. "I am guessing that your training with Jiraiya is not going exactly as you would like. I know a place where you can become very strong quite quickly. Don't expect it to be easy though."

Naruto took up an excited pose. "Really, what kind of training is it?"

"Honestly, it is pure strength, endurance, and stamina training. Before you get disappointed though, let me say that it is the best in all of the elemental nations. If you train there long enough, you will be capable of punches and kicks worthy of Tsunade herself without the use of chakra. Not only that, but your speed will begin to match that Lee friend of yours. Can you handle this type of training?"

"Are you kidding? I can't wait. Where is this place?"

"That is why I wrote this letter. With this, you will be able to have full usage of this training facility. I appropriately call this place Nii no Ryōzanpaku. The strongest person in the village goes there every day."

Jiraiya looked at Arashi very seriously. "And where exactly is this Nii no Ryōzanpaku?"

Arashi chuckled. "This facility is inside of Kumo, and I do mean the hidden village. What does that say about who the strongest person is?"

Jiraiya suddenly cut off the excited Naruto. "No; we are not going into a major hidden village; especially not one that isn't exactly on the best terms with Konoha."

"You don't have to be that way Jiraiya. I can promise that with that envelope, not a single shinobi there will give you an ounce of trouble. You will also be allowed a great amount of freedom in the village. Certainly you know that Kumo is the location for some of the best spas and hot springs in all of the elemental nations."

Arashi took notice of Jiraiya's hand as it twitched in slight excitement. "Fine, we will give it a look. Let me tell you this though. If they do anything that threatens me or my student, we will escape and hunt you down."

Arashi smirked at this. "Darn, now I am hoping that Kumo will do something. This man is probably one of the few in the elemental nations who can challenge me. The chance to fight him seriously would be a fine experience. Good, I look forward to seeing how much stronger Naruto becomes from training there." Arashi began walking away before stopping suddenly and facing Naruto. "Before I leave, I have to say that you have quite an outfit there Naruto. It seems to suit you. Where did you get it?"

Arashi had to hide his glee when he saw a small blush on Naruto's cheeks. "It was a present."

Arashi appeared in front of Naruto before he could respond. "Is it from a girl; a cute one perhaps."

Naruto's blush became a bit deeper, much to the amusement of both men. "It's not like that."

"Oh, then she is ugly then."

"HINATA-CHAN IS NOT UGLY!"

"Was that chan I just heard? You are also getting pretty defensive about her. Maybe you have a little crush on her." Naruto was about to retort before losing focus to his thoughts. Arashi smirked at this. "One more touch and I am done. Naruto and Hinata sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

He disappeared in a blur of speed that Jiraiya had trouble following. After the man in his fifties finished laughing, he decided to appraise Arashi's strength. "I have no doubt that Arashi fight me on even grounds even if I enter sage mode. If he wanted to cause us trouble, he would have just gotten it over with. He doesn't strike me as the type to waste time when he's serious. Stop thinking about your girlfriend Naruto and go back to the room. We will leave for Kumo tomorrow at noon."

As Naruto did this, Arashi skipped off to the direction where he last saw Hinata. Using his knowledge of her and his highly honed instinct, he found the hotel she was sleeping in. It was slightly better than the usual places they slept in, but still not the best. The female clerk recognized him from a description left by Hinata. She told him where the room was, which he thanked her for. He would have done more, but he's already had a lot of fun for that day. When he entered the room, he saw two futons large enough for two people each. Hinata was on one of the. Arashi smirked as another idea came into his mind. "Tomorrow morning is going to be funny."

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**I am in serious need for a break. I have been updating chapters for this story for around half a year. Updates will stop coming for about a month. The best you can expect is on the first of February. If you need to find something good to read, then check out some of the stories in my favorites. I can promise that Academy Days is as funny as it gets.**

**Next Chapter: ****Water ****and**** Swords.**


	29. Water and Swords: Chapter 29

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." At the start of the new day, Arashi went out to find Hinata who was now wearing her new outfit. They left Yuki no Kuni with the aid of Arashi's speed. This knocks Hinata out cold. She wakes up to find herself tied to a tree. Arashi takes this chance to give her a little talk. After untying her, he tosses her a pebble so she can begin some new form of training. In the end, Arashi had to give Hinata a hint by destroying a boulder. Later that day, the pair head into a village where Arashi runs into Jiraiya and Naruto. He takes this chance to advise the pair to take Naruto to Kumo for some special training. When done there, Arashi found Hinata and decided upon yet another scheme.")

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**Sorry for the long wait, but I really needed that break. I am wondering why the number of hits for the chapter didn't reach one-hundred on the day it was released. Maybe too many people were away from their computers for that day. Oh well; thanks for your patients and here is the next chapter.**

"**Water and Swords."**

Hinata slowly woke up to the first light of a new day. When she opened her eyes, she could see a figure in front of her blocking some of that light. As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes with one hand, she tried to get a better look at the figure. A pair of sleepy looking blue eyes appeared before her. "Hey Hinata-chan. Would you like to check on our kids this time?"

Hinata jumped back with a squeal and landed on her rear. When there was enough light for her to see, she saw what looked like a half naked Naruto but much older. The baby fat was gone, making him handsome to a ridiculous level. "He said _our_ kids. NANIIII!" A puff of smoke surrounded 'Naruto.' Arashi came out of this cloud and fell onto the floor. He then began to roll around and laugh loudly. Hinata scowled deeply as a rarity pooled out from the depths of her soul; killer intent."

The laughter eventually died down but Arashi still had plenty of mirth in his voice. "You should have seen your face Hinata-chan. I really freaked you out this time." Arashi snickered at the scowl he saw on her face and the killer intent aimed at him. "Wow, I really got her this time. Well, I think that it is time that we get going."

Hinata's hands started to tremble in frustration. "As soon as I'm strong enough, I am going to kill this man. I would write in my letters about what he is doing almost all time, but I am sure that is what he wants me to do. Besides, I want him to myself."

She followed him out of the hotel and of the village. They traveled west by northwest. Arashi suddenly picked Hinata up and bolted further west, much to her annoyance. This only lasted for a second as he stopped on the side of a tree. Not a moment passed before leaping off of that tree and into a small clearing. "Hello you two; I'm sorry for the surprise."

When Hinata looked, she saw two battle ready shinobi in front of her. By their headbands, she could tell that they were from Kiri. The one who was obviously older had a simple zanbatō tied to his back. The younger one had a katana twice normal size. "That must be for preparing for a zanbatō."

Both had their hands on their swords ready for use. The older one, most likely a jonin, spoke first. "Who are you?"

"My name is Arashi Ayama. This little girl here happens to be my student. Unfortunately, she hasn't had many chances to spar with anybody else. Would you be so kind as to offer the little guy over there for this service?"

The jonin narrowed his eyes. "And what if we refuse."

"Lets just say that I don't intend on taking no as an answer."

The Kiri jonin's eyes left Arashi long enough to get a good look at the fidgety girl in his arms. His eyes widened when he got a good look at her eyes. "That girl is a Hyuga. If I manage to capture her, she can be a great prize for my village. All that I have to do is kill this man. That shouldn't be too hard. I studied bingo books endlessly and have never seen his face once. The fight will also tire her out." The man smirked and nodded. "Fine, we have completed our mission anyways. This shouldn't take too long." He faced the teenager and nodded.

The teen nodded in response and watched as Arashi put his opponent down. "I have to fight this little princess. She looks like she belongs in a palace; not on the battlefield. I would like this to be a challenge at least."

Hinata looked at Arashi with a slightly worried expression. "Do I have to fight him?"

Arashi gave her a coy smirk. "If you don't, I will double my antics for a total of four weeks." She let out a sigh before facing the boy who looked two years older than her. Arashi only chuckled in response. "Here are a few hints. First, make sure that you keep an eye on that sword. Three at full strength should be enough with four having a removing effect. He is also from Kiri, meaning that he most likely uses water style jutsu. There isn't much water here so don't worry too much. Watch out for the possibility though."

Hinata nodded as Arashi jumped out of sight. The Kiri jonin did the same. It was now just her and the other teen in the clearing. Hinata slowly took up the stance for her original jutsu after activating her Byakugan. "Eight Trigrams: Chakra Blade Barrier."

The teen scowled at her slightly. "I guess that I will make the first move." He charged forward and swung his sword down at his stationary foe. Hinata made three chakra blades between her and the sword. "What in the world." This bounced the large blade in the direction opposite of its original movement, almost making him lose grip of it. Pivoting on his right foot, he sent a kick for Hinata's mid-section.

This was barely avoided as Hinata leaned out of the way by moving her left foot back. This was followed with a Jūken strike to his left shoulder. He jumped back to get out of range of another attack. "I missed his chakra point." Instead of dwelling on that, she reassumed her stance.

The male scowled slightly. "I have to avoid getting close unnecessarily. I doubt she is very good long range." He raced through a series of hand seals ending with the one for bird. "Water Style: Torrent." He braced himself on a tree behind him as a powerful water jet spewed out of his mouth.

Hinata prepared chakra blades in each of her hands while trying not to focus on them too much. She then trusted her hands forward causing the blades to fly out. Due to their unstable nature, the blades disappeared in a small explosion in the instant they entered the water. Both jutsu canceled each other out. "That actually worked. Wait, could that be it."

With her eyes, she could see him using a new set of hand seals. "Water Style: Geyser." She quickly searched the area around her in search for the attack. It was too late when she saw a large amount of water coming from under her. The attack sent her flying back. "Water Style: Torrent." The burst of water hit her directly in the abdomen, knocking her breath out.

Hinata crashed back-first into a tree. She wheezed in an attempt to get a proper air supply. She had to duck to avoid an attack that would have beheaded her. This didn't help the side kick to the right side of her face.

By striking the hilt forcefully, the male removed his blade from the tree. He then ran in the direction his kick sent Hinata. "Time to finish this."

With her Byakugan, Hinata could see the older teen approaching her quickly. The distance gave her enough time to focus her chakra. Before she could act, a strong fear gripped her. The teen stabbed his sword next to her neck before grabbing her there. The free hand was placed on the back of his blade. She could see the Kiri jonin approaching her with a smirk on his face. "Don't move. He can remove you head in an instant from there."

She scowled a bit despite the strong hand around her neck. "Quit, … quit joking Arashi-…shishō." The grip on her neck grew a bit tighter.

The jonin laughed darkly at her. "I am afraid that your shishō is indisposed at the time. This is no joke." He looked his younger partner after seeing Hinata's eyes widen. "Knock her out."

The teen let go of her neck so he could put all his power into a punch heading for her solar plexus. Hinata closed her eyes as the punch flew for her. Anticipating the hit was for naught as she felt nothing. She opened her eyes to see Arashi to her right. "Didn't I tell you to never close your eyes?"

She looked down to see Arashi's left hand on the teen's fist, which was in contact with her solar plexus. She saw him tense his hand in preparation for chopping her head off. Arashi had his hand on the blade just as it touched her neck. An un-seeable fist into the male's solar plexus knocked him out. Arashi tossed him and his sword to the side. The Kiri jonin glared and growled at Arashi. "I thought I killed you."

Arashi chuckled at this. "Don't tell me that you were fooled by a simple Replacement Jutsu. That is the oldest trick in the book." The jonin's response was to release a burst of killer intent and to charge. Arashi rotated to his right a full 360 degrees, causing his windbreaker to flap behind him.

The jonin swung his zanbatō down on Arashi. His blade was suddenly stopped by a loud clang reminiscent of connecting metal. He could see Arashi holding a simply designed katana against his blade in a reverse grip. Three things about this infuriated the jonin. First, the katana's blade was facing away from him. Second, Arashi was only using his left hand as the other hand was as far from the katana's hilt as possible. The third was the void in Arashi's eyes. No matter how hard the jonin tried, he couldn't find even an inkling of emotion in a pair of eyes that shimmered like a blue lake's surface.

He jumped back to gain some distance. He just had enough time before Arashi came down on his zanbatō with his katana. The jonin then noticed that the blade was being held completely normally this time around. "When did he do that?" Arashi continued to swing at him relentlessly with the katana. Despite the fact that the jonin's weapon and body were bigger, Arashi was still pushing him back with his powerful blows. "Where is all of this coming from?"

Arashi instantly took up a stance and brought his katana as far as his arms allowed. The jonin knew a powerful downward strike was next. Planning match power with power, he began to swing his sword upwards. **Let's enter slow motion mode. **The blades seemed to pass through each other after crossing paths. A second passed before most of the zanbatō's blade went flying. **Slow motion mode over.** Arashi brought his blade up so it faced the jonin directly. "Kōsaka Style, Descending Flay Cutter."

A moment passed before the jonin regained enough of his senses to say anything. "How?"

Arashi spoke with a voice as emotionless as his eyes. "A zanbatō's weakness.. is its lack of flexibility." The blade was stabbed into the ground, giving Arashi a chance to form some hand-seals. "Lighting Style: Taser." Arashi punched the jonin in the solar plexus. The combination of this blow and the electricity knocked the jonin out instantly.

Hinata approached her shishō with a worried expression on her face. "Arashi-shishō, are you okay?"

An uncomfortable moment of silence passed before Arashi placed his hands behind his head and smiled. "That was easy." This caused Hinata to nearly face-fault. "Now all I have to do is make sure that these two can't tell anyone about us."

Hinata's eyes widened. "You're not going to .. kill them, are you?"

Arashi gave her a sideways glance. "I am going to let that one slide Hinata-chan. As for your question; I am not going to kill them. Can't you remember what I did to the previous Raikage?" His hands formed a cross shaped hand-seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." An extra Arashi appeared at the original's side. The clone walked towards the teen as Arashi stood over the face down jonin. "Shockwave of Forgetfulness."

Arashi slammed his wrists against the side of the jonin's head. Hinata turned to see the Shadow Clone doing the same thing with the other one before disappearing. "So just like that, they forget."

Arashi took his sword out of the ground. "Let's go Hinata-chan. I would prefer not being here when they wake up."

Hinata followed Arashi as he leapt into the trees. They didn't go far before stopping. "Arashi-shishō; will they truly forget everything that just happened."

"My attack did mild damage to the short-term memory sections of their brains. Every memory from the moment they woke up this morning to the moment I struck them is gone. They will have no clue what happened to them."

"Oh, I see." Hinata looked down with a forlorn expression.

"Hinata-chan, there is absolutely no reason that you should be sad right now. What's wrong?"

"I lost."

Arashi only chuckled in response. "You didn't lose Hinata-chan." She looked at him in confusion. "Near the matches end, you were preparing to create four chakra blades. If his sword connected with those, it would have flown out of his hands. You would have then followed with a finishing counter attack. The only reason that you didn't do this was because you froze up. You froze up because that Kiri jonin was focusing his killer intent on you. Technically, he interfered with the match. Looking at the whole thing this way, you won that match."

After a moment, a smile began to slowly grow on Hinata's face. "I won that fight. I can't believe that I actually won." She enjoyed the feeling of victory until she noticed a small sheen. "Where did you get that sword Arashi-shishō?"

Arashi began appraising his blade. "This katana was a gift. It is called Setsunamaru. I actually received it from Shigure, who's father forged it. In return for being able to wield this sword, I had to follow one stipulation."

"What was that?"

"The condition was that no mater how extreme a situation is, I must never allow this blade to ever again take life. Even drawing blood has great limitations. I am happy to say that I have yet to fail this condition. I hope that I never do."

Hinata watched as Arashi put Setsunamaru in a sheath that was hidden in his windbreaker. "I can't believe that I never noticed that."

Arashi looked at Hinata seriously. A bruise was beginning to form on the right side of her face. "She is going to be feeling that in a few minutes. Hinata-chan, shouldn't you get back to the pebble training from before." He turned forward after seeing her eyes show some realization. He then looked down thoughtfully. "Even with a sword that is as strong as Shigure's, I am still unable match her. If it were her in that fight, that zanbatō would have been sliced apart with the first blow. Even with chakra enhancing the blade's sharpness, I still needed to create a fracture spot on the zanbatō. There is still great room for improvement." He looked back at Hinata. "Well I'll be; she has figured it out."

**A few seconds earlier with Hinata**.

She placed the pebble in-between her hands as per-usual. "If I tried to make my chakra more unstable, it won't be able to pierce the pebble." She became very contemplative. "Now, the water from his attack turned into water droplets thanks to my chakra. My chakra did this by exploding within the water. An explosion is just rapid expansion." Her eyes widened with realization. She focused on making the maximum amount of chakra needles as she could. While they were still connected to her, Hinata willed them to expand.

She lifted her hand to reveal the results of her attempt. Although there were a few tiny fragments, her hand was filled mostly with dust. "Congratulations Hinata-chan, you completed the first stage of this training. Although you didn't meet my highest expectations, you were very close. I guess that your fight with that Kiri chunin was just the inspiration you needed."

"Hai, I guess it was." She stopped for a moment as her eyes widened. "HE WAS A CHUNIN!"

"Didn't you know Hinata-chan? Kiri shinobi are only allowed to start using swords larger than usual katana when they become chunin. Considering that match, you are also at chunin level."

"I can't believe it. By simply training to perfect the use of my jutsu, I am this much stronger." A small smile began to grow on her face. "Itai." She brought her hand up to the right side of her face.

Arashi noticed this and laughed as a result. "Why don't you sit down for a moment? I may not be an expert, but I do know a few medical ninjutsu. My doujutsu seems to be made for medical ninjutsu. I just didn't spend much time on it." Arashi formed two hand seals before placing a glowing green hand on Hinata's injury.

She closed her eyes as she felt the pain lessen. When it was nearly gone, she felt Arashi remove his hand from her face. "Can you teach me what you know?"

Arashi looked a bit thoughtful. "I guess that it wouldn't hurt to spend a little time on it. With as little as I know, it should only take a day or two. After that though, I want you to get started the second stage of the pebble training."

Hinata let out a sigh. "I guess that continuing that training is unavoidable." A small smile then graced her face. "Even so, I am finally going to learn something that is useful to others and not me." It was then that she noticed another problem. "Do you have any extra clothes Arashi-shishō? These need a chance to dry."

Arashi chuckled at her. "There is no need. That clothing that I made is very special. Just feed you chakra into you clothes."

Hinata did as she was told with surprising results. Her clothes became fairly warm all of a sudden. On top of that, they dried very quickly. "Amazing."

"I see that you are impressed. This is special clothing that only I can make. Whenever it gets wet, the owner can feed their chakra into it to dry it. In the process of this, their clothes will be cleaned of all foreign material and repaired of all damage. The best part of all this is that the outfit will actually resize itself to match the person whose chakra is used on it. Don't ask how I did this because it would take too long to explain."

"Wow, this is a better gift than I thought. I don't even have to take it off. It is perfect for the life of a shinobi." Hinata smiled at Arashi. "He isn't too bad sometimes."

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**This is a good place to leave off at. The medical jutsu training will be skipped. I will just have another time skip like the one I had for chapter 27. This time skip will be much longer though. After that, the story will get even better and a lot darker. As for if I will be having another break, just kidding. That shouldn't happen for a while.**

**Next Chapter: Hinata's Nature.**


	30. Hinata's Nature: Chapter 30

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Hinata woke up to find Arashi literally in her face. After the ensuing episode, they left their rooms and went back into the surrounding forest. It was there where they ran into a couple of Kiri shinobi. Arashi managed to convince them to help give Hinata some fighting experience. The fight was short and ended with Hinata pined. Before they could knock her out, Arashi showed up and knocked them out. After that, he removed their memories. Arashi had to explain to Hinata that she technically won before reminiscing on his own skill level. Meanwhile, Hinata finally figured out the secret to reducing a pebble to dust. After this success, Arashi had to use the only medical jutsu he knew to heal the injuries from Hinata's fight. He promised to teach this to her for the next two days.)

* * *

**It is hard to believe how much this chapter reminds me of how Tsunade trained Sakura in dodging enemy attacks. The training method is very different, but the explanation is relatively similar.**

"**Hinata's Nature"**

Arashi walked with Hinata down a dirt path. It was now In the middle of All of that time was spent on teaching Hinata one jutsu. Because Arashi told her that the jutsu was next to useless, she started giving him the cold shoulder. Arashi looked at her with sorrowful eyes. "If you only knew what kind of jutsu you learned. I knew it would be powerful, but I didn't expect something that could kill _me_. It is best that you fainted from chakra exhaustion after using it, because then you wouldn't have believed me. Maybe I _should_ have spent time on other things. Oh well, no way to undo it now."

**Flashback.**

The two days of medical jutsu training passed by far too quickly in Hinata's book. Now she was once again working on turning pebbles into dust. She hasn't moved on to the next stage yet because Arashi demanded that she empty the bag of all pebbles before they continue. By time Hinata went through twenty pebbles, she could turn them completely into dust. She let out a sigh of relief as she pulled out the last pebble. It was dust the instant her hands covered it. "I'm finally finished."

Before she could say anything, Arashi turned around and held out another bag. "The next stage will also be using pebbles. There is of course one main difference between what you are doing with them. Like before, I want your chakra to enter and expand within these pebbles. The difference is that I want the pebbles to be completely unharmed from this."

Hinata let out a sigh of annoyance before taking the bag of pebbles into her hands. When she did that, she noticed Arashi taking the bag she was using before. She attached the new bag to her sided before taking out the first pebble. Before she started, Hinata looked at Arashi who was looking at her. "Can you stop staring at me?"

"Technically yes, but I am not going to. I need to make sure that you are doing it right. If you don't use the same amount of chakra in the same way, then you are practically cheating on the exercise. You will not benefit that way. Oh yeah, although I told you that there were only two parts to this training, the second part has three separate parts to it. You'll have to master each before you are done."

Hinata nodded before sighing once again. She put a pebble into her hand and willed her chakra to pierce it and then expand. As expected by both, the result was a pile of dust. "I know that I have to do something different. Now I just have to figure out what that is."

Weeks passed to no avail. No matter how hard Hinata tried, she could not keep her chakra from turning the pebble to dust. Every time that the damage to the pebble was reduced, it was because she let up on the chakra use. Arashi grabbed Hinata's hand as she was starting on the first pebble of the day. "You won't be doing that today. I am thinking that it is time for you to start learning about rhythm."

"Rhythm, what do you mean by that?"

"Everything on this planet has some kind of rhythm. Knowing what the rhythm of the world around you is can be a deciding factor in a battle. A prime example of someone you know who is capable of this is Naruto."

Hinata blushed a bit. "N-Naruto-kun?"

"Great, I mention one little boy's name and she stutters again." Arashi continued as if Hinata said nothing. "It is true that Naruto's large amounts of stamina and determination have played a large part in some of his victories; but if that was all, he would be dead right now. Kyūbi or no Kyūbi. Naruto seems to have an instinctual ability to find the rhythm of his opponent and to know the rhythm of the world around him. Most likely because of all those Shadow Clones he creates. This gives him an advantage that few others can emulate. The more time Naruto spends fighting an opponent, the more he learns about their rhythm. After enough time, he can sub-consciously predict how they will think. This is why he is very skilled in surprise attacks. By knowing what his opponent is thinking, he can do the last thing they expect."

Hinata looked at Arashi with widened eyes. "That's amazing. Who would have thought that Naruto-kun had an ability like that?"

Arashi looked into Hinata's eyes seriously. "I am not going to lie to you Hinata-chan. You don't have nearly as much ability in this area that Naruto has." Arashi flicked her on the forehead when Hinata started to look downcast. He smiled at her when she looked up. "That is why I have to teach it to you."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Well, one way is for us to spar. Unfortunately, the power difference between us will reduce the effectiveness of this method. The more effective way for me to teach you about rhythm is for us to do one simple thing." Arashi pulled out another one of his sealing scrolls and placed it on the ground. He went through the usual unsealing process, resulting in puff of smoke. As soon as that smoke cleared she saw, much to her surprise, a boom box. When Arashi turned it on, soft, smooth, and melodious music came out. He then created a shadow clone before walking over to Hinata. He bowed and held out his hand. "May I have this dance Hinata-chan?"

Hinata's eyes widened and her mouth dropped a bit. "You want to dance?"

"Let me make one thing clear. This is no joke; this is training."

Hinata nodded before placing her hand in Arashi's. He immediately griped her hand and pulled her in. He began leading her around without warning. Hinata stumbled, but Arashi paid it no mind as he continued to lead her around despite her lack of footing. "He won't even give me a chance to stand." Hinata tried to put her feet on the ground, but Arashi's movements were too sudden and quick for her to maintain any footing.

"You certainly didn't think I was going to make this easy. Learn my rhythm and match it. Don't try and defeat my movements; flow with them. It may help to listen to the music." Arashi continued to jerk Hinata around with a smirk on his face. "I wonder how long this will take her."

Hinata closed her eyes. "I remember. A long time ago, my mother used to play music for me. Along with all the other notes, she always played this deeper note at a regular pace. I never asked her what it was, but I understand now. Arigato Okaa-chan; may you rest in peace."

Arashi looked at Hinata seriously. "That is odd. Hinata-chan suddenly became sad. What could cause that?"

Hinata carefully listened to the music and felt out Arashi's movements. "One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. That's it. It's small, but after every four, Arashi pauses just a little bit longer. That is my opening." At the moment she decided, Hinata planted her feet on the ground. Acting just in time, Hinata moved along with Arashi. Counting off in her head, Hinata was able to follow all of Arashi's movements.

"Let's see how she handles this." Arashi suddenly performed a backwards movement. Because he was always doing sideways movements, Hinata was nearly thrown off. She barely managed to remain standing. Because of this loss she had to wait until the next count of four before regaining control over herself. "Good Hinata-chan; now for the next lesson."

After three more counts of four, Arashi jumped in the air while taking Hinata with him. He performed a spin and a flip separately. Hinata was of course thrown completely off by this. As soon as they landed, Hinata began to count off from one. As soon as she hit four, she placed her feet on the ground. This was met with failure. "What happened? Did he change his rhythm?"

"Naïve; you assumed that my aerial maneuver was not part of my rhythm. You should have thought of it as an evasive maneuver. Evasion plays as much a part of one's rhythm as does attack."

Hinata looked at him intuitively. "That's odd. His speech pattern just changed completely. It is almost like that fight with that Kiri jonin." Without warning, the music changed. It was now louder, but with the same pace. Arashi pulled Hinata forward as he dipped down. This caused her to trip over his legs. "What is it now? His rhythm really did change this time."

"Show me Hinata-chan. Show me how you deal with this."

As Arashi stood up, he pulled Hinata up with him. The result was Hinata being pulled in the opposite direction. "Itai, Arashi-shishō actually hurt me. I don't think he intends on stopping." It didn't take too many of those powerful movements before she was able to figure out that Arashi's rhythm was two. Even then, she had difficulty matching the way Arashi seemed to glide across the ground without moving his feet. He moved in highly exaggerated ways with the sole purpose of confusing her. About a minute after she got the hang of it, Arashi stopped moving. He then interlaced his fingers with hers. "What is it this time?"

Arashi turned his eyes down to Hinata as a dark and toothy grin grew menacingly on his face. "You better keep up Hinata-chan. I don't need you dieing on me." The ensuing chuckle could easily be called evil.

Hinata laughed nervously. "He changed again." She then wore and expression of worry. "He's serious." Hinata was given no more time to think as the clone turned on some fast paced music that was as equally suited for battle as for dance. Arashi pushed Hinata's left arm back as he pulled the other forward. He let go of her right hand and pulled her past him quickly. Hinata just barely had enough footing to spin when Arashi brought her arm over her head. Without warning, he forced her to bend backwards and held her. He then swung her out. Hinata locked her body just in time to avoid hitting a tree with her head. "He's actually trying to kill me."

Arashi didn't hesitate to pull her in while forcing out another spin from her. "Good job brat, but don't think that's it."

As the dance continued, Hinata tried to figure Arashi out. "His rhythm is three this time. One-two-three; now." Hinata made an attempt at gaining control. It was a failed attempt that ended with her arm hitting a tree.

"BAKA! SIMPLE MISTAKES LIKE THAT CAN COST YOU YOUR LIFE!" Arashi made his point by swinging her near another tree.

"Since when is Arashi-shishō this brutal? What kind of simple mistake did he mean?" Her eyes widened during a spin. "Of course. One-two-three-four-five-six; now." She gained control over herself and began matching Arashi's movements. "So six was his rhythm. I need to watch out for that."

Arashi smirked that same evil looking smirk at her. "So what; it wasn't like I was even trying."

Hinata scowled as she kept up with him. "Since when does Arashi-shishō insult me like this. It's getting annoying."

The music shifted to another slower paced song. It didn't take Hinata long to figure out that Arashi returned to his original rhythm of four. "You have changed more than you think Hinata-chan. You might not realize it now, but if I insulted you like that about five months ago, you would have entered a fit of depression." **Anyone confused by these personality changes probably wouldn't be if they watched enough of Kenichi.**

They continued dancing with little rest through the whole day. They only stopped long enough for food, water, and some required breaks. Just as the sun started to set, Hinata laid on the ground panting heavily. "Can't…move."

Arashi looked down at her. "Your breathing, aren't you. _That's _a form of movement."

"Shut up…I don't want to…hear it."

"Oh, getting a little feisty aren't we. Just to let you know, we will be doing this every other day. I want you to resume the pebble training tomorrow. As for now, get some rest."

Hinata didn't bother watching Arashi leave as she closed her eyes. Only a few moments passed before it suddenly got chilly and wet for her. The sudden surprise made her open her eyes and sit up. She saw Arashi looking at her smugly. "Does he ever quit?"

"Wind Style: Condensation."

Hinata glared at him. "I'll take that as a no." She fell back down, too tired to even remain sitting. "This cold water _does_ feel good on my sore muscles though." Before she knew it, Hinata was asleep.

Arashi sighed. "Great, now I have to take care of her." In the next morning, Hinata slowly woke up. She instantly noticed that her clothes were too large. "I had to use my chakra to dry you off. Here is a bucket of water that you can use."

Arashi walked out of the tent he set up. Hinata soon followed with her outfit back to fitting snugly. "Itai."

"Are you okay Hinata-chan?"

"My neck, fingers, arms, legs, feet, and even my butt hurt. Let's not forget all these little muscles I didn't even know I had. In short, I am not okay."

Arashi picked up the dreaded bag of pebbles and tossed one to her. "I'll hold onto this for today. It is the least I can do for yesterday."

Hinata nodded. "That was nice of him." She placed the pebble in her hands. "I need to force my chakra in the pebble while leaving it unharmed." The dance from yesterday popped in her head. "I had to work so hard just to avoid getting hurt." She blinked stupidly. "Of course." She created the chakra needles and prodded at the pebble with them. Suddenly, some of them flowed into the rock with little resistance. With this done, she slowly willed the chakra to expand. Without even having to look, Hinata knew that the pebble was exactly like when she got it. "I had to let my chakra flow into the pebble; not force it in. Why didn't I see it before?"

She heard slow clapping coming from her side. "Very good Hinata-chan. The next stage should be much easier." Arashi took out a pebble and placed it in his own hands. Seconds later, he lifted his hand. In the pebble's place was a stone origami crane. "Once your chakra is one with the pebble, will it into this shape. I expect you to be able to do this today." Arashi tossed her four other pebbles. "Keep those with you."

Hinata did as Arashi told her to. Using her willpower, she had her chakra take the shape she desired. When her hand lifted, she saw a perfect stone crane right there. This caused her to smile widely. "That was easy. I must be getting better."

Arashi chuckled at her. "Good job Hinata-chan. Only a talent-less baka couldn't get that on their fifth try at least. I expected you to get it on your first try."

Hinata snorted a bit. "Then what did I do it for?"

"Obvious question Hinata-chan." Arashi took out three pebbles and placed them in a hand. He then placed on hand over them. When he lifted his hand, the three pebbles were conjoined. "It shouldn't be too difficult for you to figure out how to get this done, but it is still difficult to pull off." Hinata nodded in acceptance before taking out the three pebbles Arashi gave her earlier and getting to work.

True to his word, Hinata had great difficulty fusing the three pebbles together. Thanks to the dances that they had every other day, Hinata had less time and energy to work on the pebbles. Because of this, it took her two weeks to fuse all three together. Arashi only told her to fuse five pebbles together. It took another two weeks for her to do that. "Here! Now please don't tell me that I have to do seven."

Arashi chuckled at her. "You can do the exercise with more pebbles at your leisure. Now I am going to tell you why I have had you playing with pebbles for all this time. It was all for the purpose of training your chakra's elemental nature."

"My chakra's elemental nature?"

"Hai Hinata-chan. As you know, everyone's chakra is aligned with one specific element. This training was so you can form elemental chakra in the most efficient way possible."

"Wait, then what is my chakra nature."

"Certainly you haven't figured it out yet. It is obvious that your chakra is aligned with earth."

"Oh, I see. Wait a second; if all this training was for earth elemental chakra, then how did you know it? I thought that your chakra nature was lightning."

"It is always possible for a person to learn how to use chakra outside of their original element; just more difficult. I have managed to learn all of the elements though."

"Wait, isn't that impossible."

Arashi pointed at his eyes. "They kind of give me an unfair advantage."

"That makes sense. Arashi-shishō's Keikigan gives him the ability to see chakra being formed with the utmost detail. Just by seeing a jutsu that uses elemental chakra, he can easily learn how chakra must be formed to get the same effect. After that, all he needs to do is perform enough research into how to practice an element."

"All right Hinata-chan; it's time to get starting on the portion of your training that I have been waiting for a long time."

**Flashback end.**

Arashi sighed. "I guess that even the experienced are capable of naiveté." Arashi gave himself a humorless chuckle at this. "I didn't even intend on imitating Akisame with that." At the sudden feeling of another presence, Arashi looked at the horizon. When he looked there, he could see two figures there that were at least a kilometer away. Because of the intense training he has had, he was able to make out the two figures quite easily. He scowled at what he saw. "This could be trouble. I'll need to learn about them before deciding if we can handle them." He focused on the one to his left. "That's odd; he seems aligned with all five elements." Arashi smirked. "I guess that I shouldn't expect less from someone part of that organization."

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**Well, sorry for the filler chapter. Now you people have even more questions about my story. Brownie points to anyone who can figure out who exactly are on the horizon. I bet no one can guess what Hinata's new jutsu is considering that I have given absolutely no hints to what it is like.**

**Next Chapter: Death's Due.**


	31. Death's Due: Chapter 31

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." The months seemed to pass by quickly for Arashi. He had Hinata continue the pebble training for a few weeks. He then decided to start dancing with her to teach her about rhythm. After a few more weeks, Hinata learned that the pebble training was for teaching her to master earth elemental chakra. After a few more months, Arashi reminisced on all these events and on Hinata's newest jutsu. Thinking that it was for the best, Arashi lied to her. After his reminiscing, Arashi notices a pair of figures in the distance. What kind of threat do they pose?")

* * *

"**Death's Due"**

**I have to apologize ahead of time for all the foul language in this chapter, but I just wouldn't be able to get one of the characters even close to right without having it.**

Arashi reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pill. "This should increase my chakra recovery rate. I am going to have to be careful." He then turned his serious eyes toward Hinata. "She's noticed them, but isn't paying them any mind. It seems that this day might turn out to be very eventful."

As the four approached each other, anticipation welled up from within Arashi's very being. Thanks to his intense training as a Sei type fighter, absolutely no detectable form of this emotion escaped his core. The only change was that he walked ahead of Hinata. She glanced at him. "He is the last thing I want to see right now." Hinata then turned her gaze to the pair that was approaching them. She could only see their heads thanks to the black cloaks with red clouds they were wearing. The one on the right had greasy grey hair that was combed back as tightly as possible. The one on the left had dark skin and wore a grey hood with a black face mask. Her eyes were quickly drawn to a black bandana that had a headband with a design for a waterfall. The scratch across this worried her. "Are they missing-nin?" She made sure to position Arashi between them and her.

The four stopped to look at each other. The grey haired one smiled and waved slightly. Arashi responded by doing the same. Hinata let out a sigh of relief once they were out of sight. The sound of connecting metal suddenly rung in her ears. She turned around to see a menacing crimson-colored triple-bladed scythe and mere inch from her face. Her salvation was that one of the blades was caught in the ring of Arashi's kunai. "As one who follows the philosophy of Katsujinken, I cannot allow my student to die before I do."

The grey haired man glared at Arashi with pure rage in his eyes. He jerked his scythe out of the Kunai and jumped back. The other person looked on with great amusement. "Impressive. This man is far better than I thought possible. It is hard to believe that I haven't seen his face in any bingo book. I thought he was a client, but now I know otherwise. I was so hoping to capture that Hyuga girl and sell her off. She would have fetched a high price." He turned his teal eyes towards the grey haired man. "That man said that he practiced a philosophy called Katsujinken." The dark skinned man chuckled. "That must piss Hidan off. It must also mean that he has strong taijutsu skills." **'Katsujinken' literally translates into 'Fist of Life.'**

The one identified as Hidan threw his scythe to the side. Using a rope that was connected to it, he swung the scythe in a wide arc towards Arashi. "TAKE THIS YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

Arashi merely caught the central blade in the palm of his right hand. As soon as Hidan started to real the weapon in, Arashi let go. When he looked at his palm, Arashi noticed a small line of red. "So the scythe's blades are sharp on both ends." He showed his palm towards Hidan. "Look at what you did. My hand is bleeding."

The insulting jab had the opposite effect on Hidan that Arashi expected. The man licked the blood off of his blade, effectively creeping out Hinata. A few short moments later, he finished drawing a symbol upon the ground. As a result, his face turned black and white with a design that resembled a skull. This was followed by him throwing back a section of his cloak so the right side of his body was exposed. His body was mostly black with white markings that helped form a skeleton design. "You are under my curse teme."

Arashi analyzed the situation with his doujutsu. "As soon as he consumed my blood, some kind of weak chakra link connected him and me. That seal on the ground is amplifying the link considerably." He watched as Hidan took out a black pike. "That's odd. How does he intend to use that? I doubt that he plans on leaving that seal on the ground."

"Hidan; get this over with."

"Fuck no Kakuzu. I am going to fucking enjoy this. I want to see the look on his face as he dies."

Hinata looked at this with confusion. "With the way that he is holding that pike, it looks like he is going to stab himself." Despite the prediction, Hinata's eyes widened considerably when that pike entered Hidan's right side.

Arashi's eyes, on the other hand, narrowed at the action. "So that is his ability. What good could something like this do him?" Arashi watched in amusement as Hidan seemed to get enraged by his lack of a reaction. Arashi quickly ran through some hand seals. "Earth Style, Construction." Chunks of the ground from the entire area started flying towards Arashi's sides. The stone compacted into two massive stone clubs. Arashi grabbed them and dashed towards Hidan.

The other one watched with a smirk on his face. "Looks like I will get my hands on that Hyuga after all."

"End of the line!" Hidan plunged his pike into his heart. When this happened, Arashi stopped just when he reached striking distance. A maniacal smirk grew on his face. "How does it feel; the agony of death. How does it feel knowing that that this very moment is your last. I feel it as pure ecstasy."

Arashi let out a chuckle, causing the two to widen their eyes. "There is a problem with your speech." He looked up to give Hidan his own evil smirk. "I'm not dieing." With the clubs in hand, Arashi struck the left side of Hidan's face and the right side of his legs. Once he was mid-air and horizontal, Arashi used one club to increase Hidan's elevation a bit before striking him with a blow powerful enough to send him flying into the air. Arashi then leapt to Hinata's side and dropped his clubs.

The other watched Arashi with narrow eyes. "That is odd. I have no doubt that Hidan's jutsu worked the first time, if that man's reaction is anything to go by. What prevented it from working again? Hidan was still standing in his seal when he pierced his heart." When he turned his eyes towards the seal, his eyes widened. "Impressive. When he created those clubs, I thought it was strange that he didn't use the earth closest to him. By using the earth Hidan's seal was drawn on, he disrupted it." The man turned his eyes on Arashi. "Tell me, what is your name?"

Arashi started to take his windbreaker off. "If you are going to be so rude, then I shouldn't answer."

"Gomen, my name is Kakuzu."

Arashi tossed the garment to the ground. "That's better. My name is Arashi Ayama." He then took off the dark-blue undershirt.

When she looked at Arashi, Hinata couldn't help but notice the bleeding wound on Arashi's right side. She began to reach out to him. "Arashi-shishō."

"Save you chakra Hinata-chan. I have had worse than this before." Arashi placed a glowing hand over his wound. The bleeding quickly slowed to a stop. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." He resumed healing himself as the clone pulled out some thick thread and a needle. A second passed before he was all stitched up.

Kakuzu watched this carefully. "Judging by his musculature, taijutsu truly is his specialty. Despite this, he is obviously skilled in other aspects of shinobi life. Even at long range, he could still be dangerous."

"TEME!" Arashi blocked the crimson blades with the ring of a kunai like before. Before the scythe could be pulled back, Arashi grabbed hold of its hilt. Hidan landed in front of Kakuzu with his anger clearly visible on his black and white face.

He tried to pull his weapon back, but the short tug-o-war was far too one-sided. The result was Hidan being pulled towards Arashi and being punched back to Kakuzu's location. "Here, you can have this back." Arashi threw the scythe so it landed in front of Hidan.

The enraged man grabbed his scythe and stood up. "Hidan, this man is not an opponent that you can hope to defeat."

"Your partner is right on this one bones. I have your jutsu all figured out. By consuming a person's blood, you can form a chakra link with them. The seal you draw on the ground helps amplify that link. While amplified, the link causes all damaged done to yourself to be transferred to the one whose blood you consumed. Also, judging by how you stabbed yourself, wounds that would normally be fatal are incapable of killing you. I have you figured out and know exactly how to deal with you. I can even tell that without that seal, you can't maintain the link for long. When this happens, you need a fresh blood sample to reinstate the connection." Just as Arashi finished, Hidan's body returned to normal color.

"Hidan, no matter how much I want to capture that Hyuga girl and sell her to the highest bidder, we can't let ourselves be held up any longer. If we don't show up in time, Akatsuki could fall behind schedule by three months at least."

Arashi smirked at what he heard. "Three months you say. Considering that, I can't let you two go."

"Why is that Arashi-san?"

"I have a number of plans for what path I want the future to take. Unfortunately, Akatsuki happens to be the biggest roadblock for that path. Forcing you to fall behind by such a time margin is too great an opportunity to pass up."

"Certainly you don't hope to defeat the two of us by yourself. In case you forgot, you're injured."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY!" Hidan dashed for Arashi with his scythe at the ready.

"Watch this dance closely Hinata-chan." Arashi dodged Hidan's scythe fluently. With every attack, Arashi dodged it with only a millimeter to spare.

"Arashi-shishō could only mean one thing with those words." Hinata gulped at the possibility of events. Despite her worries, Hinata watched Hidan attack Arashi closely. Every movement Hidan made was analyzed fully.

After a minute of fighting Hidan, Arashi grabbed his windbreaker. He held the garment between the next scythe attack and himself. Hidan became angrier when he felt his scythe connect with something that wasn't flesh. Arashi let go of his windbreaker and kicked Hidan lightly. As the Akatsuki shinobi stumbled, Arashi grabbed both of his wrists. "LET GO YOU FUCK!"

"Do you mind? We are in the presence of a lady."

"YOU THINK I GIVE A FUCK!"

"Lightning Style: Piercing Darkness."

Seeing a bolt lightning flying for him, Arashi leapt high into the air with Hidan still in his hands. Using a great amount of strength, Arashi sent Hidan plummeting into the forest on his left. "HINATA-CHAN; FOCUS ENTIRELY ON DEFENSE! HOLD HIM OFF LONG ENOUGH FOR ME TO FINISH THIS!"

"HAI!" The anxious Hyuga dashed into the forest where the murderous Jashinist was sent.

Arashi landed on the scared ground as he stared down Kakuzu, who smirked under his mask. "I thought that you said that you plan to die before your student."

"I trust in her abilities. She should be fully capable of keeping that man from drawing a single drop of blood."

"It's her funeral. Lightning Style: Piercing Darkness."

Arashi raced through hand seals that ended with rabbit. "Wind Style: Spiral Blades." A gale of wind surrounded Arashi's body, effectively cutting up the attack that was sent for him.

"So he can use wind style ninjutsu as well. This will be a bit more difficult than I thought."

Arashi ran through another set of hand-seals. "Lightning Style: Raging Bull." A massive bull head made of lightning formed and shot to Kakuzu at an incredible speed. With no time to do anything else, he jumped out of the way of the attack. "Fire Style: Cannon Blast."

Kakuzu turned his head just in time to avoid being fried by a large fireball. The explosion still caused him harm. "What is with this man? He just used a powerful jutsu from four of the five elements. There is just one left."

"Water Style: Aqua Blade." Arashi swept his arm across the air. Thanks to having to dodge two attacks in a row, Kakuzu was unable to dodge this attack.

Fortunately for him, he didn't have to dodge it. Kakuzu decided to remove the damaged cloak. "Nice try, but I can use my chakra to harden my body at will." Arashi suddenly appeared before him. "When did he?"

"Lighting Style: Volt Round." A bolt of lightning chakra shot out of Arashi's finger and into Kakuzu's heart. With some back flips, Arashi created some distance between him and his foe.

Kakuzu laughed for a bit before stopping. "It is going to take more than that to kill me. You only managed to destroy one of my hearts."

Arashi smirked. "Let me guess. You _had_ five hearts. Each one of these hearts was aligned with a different elemental affinity. I just destroyed the heart that was aligned with earth."

"Hmm, that was too good for a guess."

"Your right about that one." Arashi dashed towards Kakuzu at high speed.

Unable to react in time, Kakuzu was forced into a bout of taijutsu. "I need to create some distance. His ninjutsu might be strong, but his taijutsu is better." He tried to punch Arashi, but his fist was caught.

"I have to admit, your taijutsu is quite impressive. You may even have the potential to become master class. Unfortunately for you, I _am_ master class."

Kakuzu's eyes widened as he sensed a sudden field of calm surround Arashi. The feeling was so thick, that it became visible for him. "What kind of jutsu is this?"

"So, you can see my Seikūken. You truly do have the potential to be a master." As soon as Arashi let go of his hand, Kakuzu tried to pull away. "Gungnir"

Kakuzu quickly dodged the strike, only to see it fade out of existence. The true strike hit his face. "I know I dodged that." He leaned out of the way of another attack, only to be hit in the chest by the same arm. "What's going on? I'm dodging his attacks so how are they hitting me."

"My attack is called Gungnir. It is named after a mythical spear wielded by a god. The power of this spear is that, no matter how good the target is at evasion, it never misses." Kakuzu stood helpless as a flurry of strikes struck him and sent him flying back. "You cannot dodge the unavoidable."

Kakuzu's gaze managed to find Arashi's stitched up side. "He is still injured. He is injured and is fighting me off as if it's nothing. I'LL KILL YOU!" Countless black threads exploded from the man's body. Arashi had to block the dismembered fist that was sent for his side. Soon, the threads took the shape of four strange looking beasts with masks. These beasts remained connected to Kakuzu by large amount of threads. "FIRE STYLE: SEARING PAIN!"

A fireball the size of a head came out of the mask with red markings. Thanks to the Keikigan, Arashi was not fooled by its small size. He performed a leap powerful enough to send him flying. As soon as the fireball hit the ground, it erupted in a massive firestorm. "This guy is pretty good at causing widespread damage."

"WATER STYLE: UNTIMELY GRAVE." A large torrent of water climbed above Arashi. It then arched down at its target. With no nearby source of earth, Arashi let out a flurry of fierce punches at the water. This alone was enough to turn it into rain. This rain put out the flames just as Arashi landed. Kakuzu's eyes became more enraged. "Blocking one of my jutsu with his fist alone. YOUR HEART WILL BE MINE!"

Arashi merely jumped back to where his clothes were. They were damaged by the flames but survived for the most part. More importantly to him, they were wet. He pumped a small amount of chakra into both before putting them on. "I'M SORRY, BUT I DON'T SWING THAT WAY!"

This only enhanced Kakuzu's fit of rage. "WIND STYLE: GALE FORCE!"

Arashi reached into his windbreaker and took out his sword, Setsunamaru. With some focus, he coated the blade in a thin but dense shell of chakra before raising the blade over his head. "Kōsaka Style: DESCENDING FLAY CUTTER." Power exploded from Arashi's sword and connected with the pressurized wind. The resulting explosion knocked down a number of trees in the surrounding area.

Instead of becoming angrier, Kakuzu looked at this with awe in his eyes. "He stopped my jutsu with just a swing of his sword. Just how strong is he?"

He watched as Arashi took up a battle stance. "It is time I finish this."

"No, I need more time." Two of the bestial creatures separated from Kakuzu and raced for Arashi. The one that commanded water was split in half before it could do anything else. A spear of lightning shot for Arashi at high speed. Even when it split in two, the bolt couldn't graze the man. Like before, Arashi sliced the beast in half. "Not good. I still need a few more seconds."

"NO!"

Although the scream was too far for Kakuzu to hear, it wasn't the case for Arashi. He turned towards the forest with worry in his eyes. "HINATA!"

Kakuzu increased the distance between the two. "This is it. It was nice knowing you Arashi-san. Your heart will make a fine replacement." The remaining wind and fire mask let loose at the same time. The resulting inferno raced for Arashi at high speed. Arashi faced the flames just as they reached him. Kakuzu started laughing at his close call. "The last time I had a match like that, it was against the first Hokage. The difference is that I won this match." When Kakuzu surveyed the field, he took in the heat and light that the flames created. "I better collect his heart before it is destroyed."

When Kakuzu walked forward, His eyes widened at the sight before him. Rising above the flames was a vertical stone wall. At the top of this wall, was Arashi. After a shadow clone jutsu, the number became five. After this, the Arashi in the center unveiled a large disk with four evenly distributed belts along its circumference. The central one crouched on the disk while the other four used the belts to tie the disk to their waists.

The Arashi on the upper left went through a number of hand-seals. "FIRE STYLE: SCORCHING HEAD!" Flames collected around his upper body, focusing over his head.

The one on the lower right followed. "WIND STYLE: PIERCING GALE!" A fierce tornado formed over his head and formed a point.

The one on the lower left was next. "LIGHTNING STYLE: DRAGON'S HORN!" Lightning formed over his head before taking the shape of a sharp point.

Following him was the Arashi on the upper right. "EARTH STYLE: GREAT SPIRE!" Stone from the wall formed a wide spike on his head.

Finally, it was the center Arashi's turn. "WATER STYLE: AQUA DRILL!" Water from the air formed over him and began spinning counterclockwise.

Kakuzu trembled in place as he stared wide eyed at this newest development. "He is using all five elements for a single attack. Something like this should be impossible."

The outer Arashi began running counterclockwise at high speed. This increased the rotation of the water drill. Soon, the elements of earth, water, and lightning melded together. The elements of fired and wind formed a spiral around the water before melding to form another drill. The result was two layers of unstoppable power. The first was a flawless fusion of fire and wind. The second was an aqueous drill enhanced by chunks of earth and countless volts.

Kakuzu poured all the chakra he had into one last attack. "TAKE THIS!" The wind and fire masks worked together to form an inferno hotter and stronger than any other Kakuzu has ever made before in all his life.

"RETRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS!" The Arashi leapt off of the stone wall with astounding force. Arashi was able to pierce through the widespread flames as if they were just more air.

Kakuzu stared at the unstoppable force that was coming strait for him. Time seemed to come to a standstill for the man. "I used all my chakra in that last attack. Even if I dodged the main attack, I doubt that I can survive the explosion. No matter how I look at it, I will die today. I lived for ninety years. My death was overdue anyways." He managed to chuckle a bit. "I always thought that I would die going after a massive bounty like a Kage. Instead, I am done in by a man whose face isn't in a single bingo book. I have heard that money makes the underworld turn as well." Kakuzu smiled under his mask. "You'll hear no complaints from me."

The resulting explosion formed a crater in the ground with a seventy meter radius. In the center of this massive crater stood Arashi. His body was covered in small scratches and burns. His right shoulder bled from a knife sized piece of rock imbedded there. There were many tears in his clothes. He was hunched over and breathing heavily. "Hinata-chan."

He disappeared in a blink of an eye.

* * *

**For what reason did Hinata scream? Does Arashi have the strength to deal with a second immortal? You aren't going to find out today.**

**Next Chapter: Frantic Action.**


	32. Frantic Action: Chapter 32

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." As the two pairs approached each other, Arashi prepared himself for combat. Hinata just continued in her attempt to ignore him. When she noticed that the pair were missing-nin, she put Arashi between them and her. A battle started without warning. It didn't take Arashi long to figure out Hidan's power. After disrupting this, he sent the man flying up. He sent him into the forest shortly thereafter. Hinata followed, leaving Arashi and Kakuzu alone. Arashi fired off four jutsu before Kakuzu could react. After he lost a heart, Kakuzu was forced into a one-sided taijutsu bout. Enraged, Kakuzu started to put everything into the fight. Arashi's physical strength proved enough until he heard a scream. Barely escaping Kakuzu's combo attack, Arashi formed a stone wall and prepared his own combo. Kakuzu could only watch as this attack obliterated him.)

* * *

**Okay, last week was one of the most god awesome chapters ever, and I only get TWO reviews people. Was there something wrong with it because I would like to know.**

**WARNING: This chapter is very explicit. Those with weak hearts and/or were greatly disappointed by how Hinata's confession ended up in the manga should be careful when reading this chapter. You have been warned.  
**

"**Frantic Action"**

Hinata ran through his path of destruction with a half worried, half determined expression. "I have to do this. Arashi-shishō trusts me to keep this guy out of his fight. He may be a jerk, but he is still my shishō."

When the trail ended, Hinata could see Hidan starting to pull himself out of a fallen tree. At first, his expression was completely enraged. When he got a look at Hinata, a sadistic smirk grew on his face. "Looks like the bitch came to play. I am going to enjoy making you scream in your last moments. Don't worry; you won't be alone. I will share your glorious pain with you." Hidan through his head up and began laughing maniacally.

Hinata took a deep breath. "Calm down. The longer he spends talking and laughing, the more time Arashi-shishō has to come to my aid. Time is on my side. I just have to wait him out." She activated her Byakugan in preparation for the battle.

Without warning, Hidan used the rope to swing his scythe towards Hinata. She was prepared for this and responded by sliding to the underside of the branch she was standing on. Hidan used his skills to make the blades follow her. Hinata continued by moving back to the top of the branch. She only had to hop to the side as the scythe coiled around the branch. Unfortunately, she hopped in the wrong direction. It was too late to realize this as Hidan used the rope to pull on his scythe and slice the branch. Hinata was left defenseless as she fell. "YOU'RE MINE!"

Hinata watched as the blade was directed for her. "Eight Trigrams: Chakra Blade Barrier. Against scythes, it is best to use the curved portion of the blade to direct it away from my body. Even though there are three blades, I only have to use the one at the very end." As she planned, Hinata was able to force the scythe away from her body.

"Don't you want to see your fucking life flash before your eyes? Let me end your curiosity." He jumped forward with his scythe at the ready.

Hinata landed and waited for the man to approach. "He talks too much." She began to fluently dodge his attacks. "One, two, three; one, two, three. Don't let him draw my blood no matter what." This was easier said than done because Hidan's skills were at jonin level. Hinata couldn't attack even if she wanted to. It was to her advantage that she didn't have to.

Hidan's expression contorted into anger as an attack that was meant for Hinata's arm was deflected by more blades of chakra. "You're more of a bitch than I though. Forget about making you scream. You will beg for me to end your life. I will make sure that your dieing wish is for you to die. I can hear it now. It sounds DELICIOUS!" He began laughing maniacally once again.

"Calm down. If I let him get to me, it could mean trouble." Hinata continued _dancing_ around Hidan's attacks; forming a chakra blade whenever necessary.

After a moment where Hidan's scythe managed to cut into Hinata's jacket, both paused to check for blood. Hinata placed a finger over the spot and checked that. The absence of blood soothed her worries. Hidan resumed his attack just as she became prepared. "DAMN YOU BITCH!"

The series of evasions and attacks continued. Hinata noticed a large amount of orange light in the direction Arashi was in. She didn't have time to dwell on this as Hidan's onslaught was endless. About a minute passed before Hinata decided to use her more extensive knowledge of Hidan's rhythm to leap back and put a little extra distance between him and her. What she didn't count on was a gust of wind blowing against her back and slowing her movement just a bit. At the same time, a more powerful and unnatural gust of wind hit Hidan from behind and pushed him forward. The result was a shallow cut to Hinata's right side. Hinata froze and watched in horror as Hidan licked a trail of blood off of his scythe. She reached out as he fell to the ground. "NO!"

Just as Hinata landed on the ground, Hidan began drawing his seal. With no time to spare, Hinata dashed for him; taking the offensive for the first time in the fight. Her heart seemed to beat in her ears. Time slowed so that one beat felt like three seconds. Hinata's eyes were focused entirely on Hidan and the closing distance. She fell face down due to intense pain in her leg. A smirk grew on Hidan's skull-like face. "You're mine."

He laughed once again as his twisted the pike that was in his right leg, causing Hinata to wince in pain. Hinata tried to reach out to the seal with her left hand, but Hidan stabbed himself close to the shoulder, barely missing anything vital. Hinata let out a small cry in pain as her arm stopped.

Before she could even think of using her other hand, Hidan slowly plunged the black and red pike into his right shoulder. He twisted and jiggled it as it continued through to the other side. Hinata gritted her teeth to keep herself from screaming out like she knew Hidan wanted. Although it was hardly possible, Hidan's grin grew more maniacal when he could see blood soaking the back of Hinata's jacket. He jerked the pike out at an angle; causing Hinata to cry out once again.

Hidan put his pike away and knelt down. He then picked Hinata up by the neck in a way that she would be facing him. Grinning ear to ear, he held up her rag doll body. Although her eyes were unfocused, he could still see evidence of life in them. "Good; I'm not finished yet." He stepped out of the seal for a moment and dropped Hinata on her back so that her waist was a few inches from the edge of the seal. "I haven't had fun like this for a while. I am going to enjoy fucking you like the bitch you are as you bleed to death."

Hinata instantly forgot all her pain and stared at Hidan with wide and fearful eyes. In an instant later, Hinata began kicking at Hidan with her only mobile limb. She could feel every blow she landed being transferred to herself, but she didn't care. All that mattered was getting Hidan away from her.

Hidan stomped on the leg, fracturing the bone in two places. Try as she might, Hinata could not move a single limb. She started to lift her body, but Hidan stomped his other leg onto her ribs, cracking a few. He then took out his scythe and positioned it under her pants. He didn't hesitate to cut an opening.

With that done, Hidan positioned himself in front of Hinata. "If you're still alive when I'm finished fucking you, remind me to congratulate you for lasting longer than the last bitch."

Even though Hinata closed her eyes and turned to the side, she still had to listen to Hidan's maniacal laughter. He continued to laugh, paying no attention to the thunderous sound coming from behind him. Tears flowed freely out of Hinata's closed eyelids. "I can't believe that this is how it ends. I was supposed to return home, meet all my friends again, and maybe even tell Naruto-kun about how I feel."

When she felt a pair of hands firmly grip her wrists, Hinata prepared herself for losing what she learned to value more than her own life. "LET ME GO YOU COCK-SUCKING MOTHERFUCKER!"

Hinata opened her eyes again and looked up. Tears continued to flow for a whole different reason. She then relaxed and let her head fall to its side. A smile grew on her face. "I may still die, but at least I don't have to loose everything." She fell to unconsciousness after those thoughts.

Hidan struggled viciously against the person holding his wrists as he was pulled away from his seal. After that was done, he was thrown at a tree. The Jashinist looked up at his attacker. Most of his clothes had holes and burns, but he could still tell that it was the same man from before. Arashi was breathing heavily and hunched over with blood seeping out of his right shoulder. "So you killed Kakuzu. About time that blasphemous fuck died. I am going to finish you quick so I can get back to the little bitch."

A minuscule amount of killer intent came off of Arashi before disappearing completely. Hidan threw his scythe and used the rope to swing it at Arashi. The burned man stepped forward and grabbed the scythe's handle. Using the rope attached, Arashi slowly began to pull Hidan towards him. The immortal tried to use his pike at close range, but Arashi simply swatted it away.

Arashi forced Hidan to the ground and held him down with his left foot. He reached into the sleeve where the rope was coming out and griped the rope. He could tell that the rope was coiled around the arm. A loud snap was heard when Arashi instantaneously pulled the rope taut, effectively breaking Hidan's arm in six different places. Arashi removed his foot and pulled on the rope again, swinging Hidan to a nearby tree. The result was for the man to make a full rotation around the tree. Without wasting time, Arashi used his half of the rope to bind Hidan to the tree. "YOU THINK THIS WILL HOLD ME YOU PISS-SOAKED PIECE OF SHIT! I WILL SLAUGHTER ALL I SEE! THESE ARE THE ORDERS OF JASHIN-SAMA!"

Arashi drowned out Hidan's yelling with complete ease. Once the scythe's rope ran out, he began using his strength to bend the weapon around the tree. Once the three blades reached Hidan's body, he slowly plunged all three into the tree; through Hidan. The man's own blood flowed freely on his own weapon. Arashi made sure that the Jashinist's head was positioned at the same level as his abdomen. His blue eyes became cast in shadow after backing away a bit and hunching down. Both arms were held parallel to Arashi's chest with the fingers extended. "Principle of Karate: move both arms in unison as if they are connected by a pulley. Principle of Jujutsu: put all weight into an attack as if you were swinging a sword. Principle of Kempo: your arm should feel like it is flying off of your shoulder. Principle of Muay Tai: punch as if you are punching through your opponent."

All small animals within one-hundred feet of where Arashi stood began to put as much distance between them and him as possible; as if sensing an impending disaster. The trees swayed as if they also wanted to create some distance from where he stood. Hidan remained oblivious to this as he continued to yell obscenities at Arashi.

Killer intent _exploded_ off of Arashi with almost physical force. The fact that it was focused in Hidan's direction silenced him instantly. Any animal within fifty feet in that direction died because their hearts stopped in fear. "MUBYOSHI!" Every muscle in his body; from the eyes to the toes; moved in a way that enhanced the strike. As quickly as it appeared, his killer intent disappeared. Arashi turned around and swept his arms through the air with such force, that most of the blood on his arms and hands was sent to the ground just as the tree behind him finish falling.

Behind him, Hidan returned to his normal skin color. If someone where to look at his body, they would only be able to recognize him from the neck down. The tree stump behind him was splattered in blood and skin colored chunks. The sides of his face rested on both shoulders. They were held in place by the skin of the neck. A shattered half of Hidan's skull was held by his head skin. Small chunks of what was left of Hidan's brain rested in the skull cavity. It was not a pretty sight.

When Arashi looked at Hinata's prone body, his emotionless mask was replaced with worry. Once he arrived, he put a large portion of his remaining chakra into a single Shadow Clone. He let the clone take out his medical stitches and needle before leaping high into the air. "This is a bad time to be bad a geography." He franticly looked around for civilization. He noticed a small settlement further down the path. After landing, he ran through some hand seals. "Earth Style: Construction." A large stone stretcher appeared in front of him. Already finished with stitching up her wounds and repairing the cut in her pants, the clone climbed the construct and laid her on it.

Realizing that he can't cart her though a forest; Arashi picked it all up and used the treetops to get to the path. Once he reached the path, he made his way to the village as fast as he dared. The clone disappeared along the way after using all it's chakra in medical jutsu. Once he reached the village, he noticed that blood could be seen everywhere. Moments later, seven men carrying an assortment of weapons ran out of the buildings and surrounded him. A big one carrying a sword glared at him. "Leave here or we'll make you leave." The others griped their weapons in agreement.

"This isn't good. I have a feeling that this has something to do with that Hidan person I just killed." Arashi slipped his arms under Hinata's body and showed her to everyone there. Tears started to flow out of his eyes. "Please, you have to help. If she doesn't receive proper attention soon, she might not make it."

All the men's grips loosened at a sight that looked so much like a father holding his dieing daughter. Their suspicions held firm thanks to their injuries and Arashi's musculature. "STOP!" All eight of the men looked at a boy no older than eighteen running in their direction. He stopped after reaching them. "Can't you see what is happening here? We need to get that girl to the clinic as quickly as possible."

Arashi smiled when he saw uncertainty in the seven men's eyes. "There is a good chance that they will help Hinata-chan out if they no longer see me as a threat." Arashi put Hinata back on the stone stretcher and faced the teenage boy. "Make sure she gets all the care you can afford." With those words, Arashi let his exhaustion overtake him.

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**This chapter was hard to write. I had a difficult time doing that to my favorite character. Hidan's punishment was a lot easier. Unless someone decides to put the pieces of his brain together, he isn't coming back. The fact that he needs to keep killing to maintain his immortality ends him. As for why Hidan didn't kill everyone, that will be explained next week.**

**PS: Someone once asked me if Yugito would live. I hope that this chapter has answered that question.**

**Next chapter: Solid Relationship.**


	33. Solid Relationship: Chapter 33

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." As Arashi fought Kakuzu, Hinata was left alone to deal with Hidan. She did her best to hold out and avoid getting hit, but an unexpected gust of wind gave Hidan what he needed. He managed to complete his seal before Hinata could get to him. After inflicting three grave wounds, he prepared to do the unthinkable to her. Fortunately, Arashi showed up and obliterated the _immortal_. He then created a Shadow Clone to take care of Hinata as he carted both to a nearby village. After a chilly reception, Arashi had to trust a single teenage boy with Hinata's life."

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**I bet that most people didn't expect my story to take this kind of turn. It can't all be humorous.**

**This is also chapter 33. That means that the second part has just now become half as long as the first part. I wonder if I can make it another 11 chapters. I doubt it though.**

"**Solid Relationship"**

Arashi's hazel eyes opened slowly. He looked around and noticed that he was in a simple jail cell. Both of his arms and legs were tightly shackled. He was also wearing the same tattered clothes that he had on the day before. After looking around, he noticed a sink nearby. In two swift movements, he tore off all of his shackles and walked over to the sink. When he turned it on, the water was brown and it stunk; but it was still water. The master tailor removed his clothes and put them in the sink with the water running. Once they were soaked, Arashi put some chakra into his clothes. A second later and they were as good as new. He redressed and walked to the jail door. The man who was supposed to be the guard was sleeping on his chair. "I don't want to wait for him to wake up. I am going to check on Hinata-chan now."

He grabbed two bars and spread them enough for him to get through. As soon as he stepped out, Arashi jumped to the building's roof. Seeing a man digging a grave in the distance made his heart skip a beat. He quickly checked in every building's window in search for the one that could be the clinic. He found it and entered without once being seen by a villager. Because of the clinics small size, it didn't take him long to find Hinata. She was laying on a bed with an IV with red liquid in it attached to her arm. This was enough for Arashi. "What a-are you doing here?" Arashi turned around to face the same teenager from last night. "Y-you're supposed to be in the jail."

"Tell me her condition." Arashi narrowed his hazel eyes dangerously. "Now."

"H-hai. S-she lost a lot of blood, but luckily we have just enough f-facilities to perform blood transfusions. It is also lucky that she and I are A blood types. The bone fractures are slight and should heal properly within two months. I checked all of her wounds for infection, but there wasn't any. The stitches were very well done. Scaring should be very low when she is done healing.

Arashi smiled. "Of course she doesn't have any infection. All of her injuries were caused by Hidan's jutsu. I also used a clone to stitch her up. When a clone disappears, it takes all of its cloned pathogens with it. If those pathogens reproduce during their existence, they will all still disappear."

"Tell me, where you the one who stitched her up."

"Hai, that was me. I happened to be a very skilled tailor. Although it is different, stitching someone up isn't that different."

The teenager chuckled. "That explains the quality. There were much better than anything I could do. By the way, my name is Hoshi."

"My name is Arashi. How old are you?"

Hoshi blinked a bit thanks to the sudden question. "I-I am seventeen."

Arashi suddenly snapped his fingers. "Darn; and I guessed eighteen." Hoshi sweat-dropped as Arashi's expression became much more serious. "What happened here?"

Hoshi looked down sadly. "Yesterday morning, a pair wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them entered our village. Without warning, the one with grey hair started using a blood red scythe to kill everyone he could reach with it. Because most of the men hunt in the forest or work on their fields, they were a safe distance away. Most of the women and children were slaughtered. Out of seventeen women, only two are left. Out of 21 children, only three are left. He even killed the only four babies. Only six men died. My tou-san, kaa-san, and nee-chan were among them. I watched from inside this clinic and couldn't do a thing."

"I see." Arashi looked up at the ceiling. "Those two happened to be in a hurry. If this wasn't the case, that man would have killed everyone in this village with no exceptions. If you ask me, I think that you are lucky."

"HOW CAN YOU CALL US LUCKY?"

He was cut off when Arashi suddenly appeared in front of him. "Keep it down. It is not good to wake the injured."

Hoshi still glared at him. "Why in the world would you think that we were lucky?"

"Obviously you don't know too much about the outside world. I have heard about a man who was on a mission of sorts to kill someone else. When his target hid in a village, the man killed everyone; and I do mean everyone in the village. Hundreds died for a decision that man made on a whim. The man who killed the people of your village is a pussycat compared to this other man." Arashi walked away at Hoshi's silence. "I am still tired from using nearly all my chakra to kill the pair who passed by here. Using even the smallest amount of my life-force chakra exhausts me."

Hoshi watched at Arashi sat down with his back to a wall and proceeded to fall asleep. One of the other villagers barged into the door. "HOSHI-SENSEI; THE PRISONER ESCAPED!"

Arashi suddenly appeared in front of the man. "This is a place of rest and recuperation. Keep quiet so people can rest. I will not say this a third time." He instantly returned to the wall.

"H-Hoshi-sensei; why didn't you tell us?"

"He got in without me even noticing. He just asked how the girl was doing before deciding to take a nap. If he planned on causing us trouble, he would have done it already."

"Don't be so naïve. We have no reason to trust him."

"He says that he killed the ones who attacked us. Considering all the loud explosions we heard yesterday, it is a possibility."

"B-but still."

"Enough." The force in his voice made the other man step back. "We'll let them rest for now. Once they are healed, they will leave."

The man clenched his fist but nodded. "Hai." He then left.

During this, Arashi delved into his thoughts unable to actually go to sleep. "Yesterday could have gone very differently. If I told Hinata-chan the truth about the powerful jutsu I helped her create, things may have turned out better. It still would have been rather useless against Hidan, but that is only because the man's immortality and his tendency to only try and draw blood. Kakuzu would have been an entirely different story however. If Hinata-chan used her jutsu at the first sign of a big attack, it would have been over; no matter how powerful the jutsu. Even the lightning jutsu he had would have been useless." Arashi chuckled silently. "This all doesn't matter right now. Ensuring that it doesn't happen again is the only thing I can do."

Calmed by his own thoughts, Arashi fell into slumber. Hoshi walked over to the man and looked down at him. "This is going to get me in a lot of trouble."

**Scene change.**

Everything below eyelevel was black; black as the darkest night. Rising above this was a blood red mist. Instead of getting thicker with growing distance, the mist became thicker with rising elevation; effectively turning the sky completely into that color. Familiar maniacal laughter filled the one person's ears. The colors suddenly shifted, with black at the top and blood red at the bottom. It wasn't colored by mist, but by the river of fluids flowing out of the person's legs and arms. Massive eyes appeared with red irises added the first bit of white. Circular wounds began appearing all over the person's body; eyes, heart, jugular, stomach, and many other places. The rivers covered even the sky, leaving only the color of blood red.

Hinata quickly sat up with sweat dripping down her face. She panted heavily for a second before gripping her side. "Ita."

Because of her exhaustion; Hinata could resist being forced to her back. "You still need to rest. Don't make any unnecessary movements."

Although it was unfamiliar, the concern in the voice was enough to calm Hinata a little. She spoke at barely a whisper. "Arigato Arashi-shishō."

Because of the silence of the room, Hoshi was able to catch her words. "Shishō? Does this mean that she isn't his daughter?" He turned his eyes on Arashi who was still sleeping against the wall.

That at least was what he thought before Arashi suddenly stood up and walked over to Hinata. He looked around the room a bit before setting eyes on a clock. After nodding, he formed the crossed hand seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." As the smoke cleared, he started on some more hand seals. "Chakra Transfer Jutsu." He placed his hand on the clone for a few seconds before taking it off. Arashi faced Hoshi with serious eyes. This clone will stay here. I have given him enough chakra to provide medical assistance for the remainder of the day. I will be out during this time."

Arashi walked out of the door and into the sunlight. He noticed that the few that were outside looked at him with fear in their eyes. A single woman pushed a child into what was most likely their home. Arashi stopped paying this any mind and disappeared.

He reappeared deep in the nearby forest. Without warning, he started punching down all of the trees surrounding him. After a small area was cleared of trees, he proceeded to rip the stumps out of the ground. Once that was done, Arashi used his bare hands to replace all of the upturned dirt. Now that he finished making a flat clearing, Arashi pulled out a scroll and unsealed a larger scroll from within. As he unfurled this scroll, words could be seen at the beginning. 'Akisame's Training Machines.' Arashi chuckled to himself. "It is time for me to get back to the basics."

**Back with the clone.**

Hoshi looked at the clone nervously as it emotionlessly pumped medical chakra into the girl's injuries. It took him a few seconds to muster up the courage to say anything. "Can you talk?"

"I can do anything the original can do."

"I'll take that as a yes." He looked at the clone with narrow eyes. "What is your relationship with this girl?"

Remembering that it was Hinata saying his name that woke Arashi up, the clone figured that the truth would be best. "She is my apprentice; though I can honestly say that she is like a daughter to me."

"Please tell me that you are making a seamstress out of her."

The clone chuckled in his first show of emotion. "No such luck gaki. I am training her to be a strong shinobi."

Hoshi laughed nervously. "Great; the first girl around my age to come around and she has to be a shinobi. I have all the luck. Can you tell me her name?"

"Her name is Hinata Hyuga." The clone looked at Hoshi's expressions with a small smile on his face. "Before you even ask, she happens to have a great amount of interest in a certain boy back where she is from. I doubt that anyone else would capture her interest. On top of that, this boy is the only one I approve of."

After blushing a bit, Hoshi let out a sigh. "Break a guy's heart why don't you. Life truly isn't fair."

The clone chuckled a bit at Hoshi's actions. He turned serious again as he moved onto one of Hinata's other wounds. "Although you said that her bones should be healed in two months, we shinobi are a bit different. We tend to heal faster than normal civilians. It would normally take Hinata-chan half that time to be fully healed. Because I am helping with the process, it should take three weeks. Once she is well, we will leave."

"Is there somewhere you need to be?"

"Hai, I want to reach a certain place in around three months from now. If we run, it should take a month to get there."

"Is there any chance that you two can stick around for a bit longer?"

"It is a possibility, but I am not making any promises."

Hours passed by as sunlight dimmed. After a few hours into night, the clone suddenly disappeared. The surprise caused Hoshi to leap back a bit. Minutes later, the original Arashi walked into the building. He was breathing heavily with a layer of sweat all over his skin. "Y-you shouldn't be out doing whatever you were doing. You are still injured."

Arashi gave him a slight glare with shadowed blue eyes that shifted in a dangerous looking way. "I have trained under far worse condition than this. Don't tell me what I shouldn't be doing."

Hoshi was completely silenced by Arashi's eyes and words. He just watched as the man fell asleep against the wall like before. "I could have sworn that his eyes weren't blue."

Like in the day before, Arashi created a clone to work on Hinata as he went into the forest. In the middle of this day, Hinata reached consciousness. She opened her eyes and noticed Arashi at her side. She could easily tell that he was using medical chakra for her ribs. "I thought you said you couldn't do anything fancy." Her voice was fairly tired.

Arashi chuckled at those words and at Hoshi leaping back a bit. "I didn't use those exact words. Regardless, what I am doing now is virtually the same as what I taught you. I haven't learned how to specifically deal with bones. I can only excite the cells surrounding the injury so that it heals at a slightly faster pace. The rate of increase is only around 25% per a day."

"I see." Her eyes turned sad. "Gomen, I wasn't able to live up to your expectations."

Arashi's eyes softened as well as his voice. "Don't say things like that. Obviously my expectations were too high. This is more my fault than yours. You are just the one who suffered for it. I don't want to hear you blaming yourself again."

Hinata smiled a bit. "Hai Arashi-shishō." She turned her head away from him and noticed Hoshi as a result. "Ano, who are you?"

"My name is Hoshi. It is nice to meat you Hinata-san."

He gasped a bit before pulling out a flashlight. He shined it in Hinata's eyes; resulting in her closing them and shaking her head a bit. "Ita, what was that for?"

Hoshi stepped back and waved his hands defensively. "Gomen; it is just that it looked like you were blind. I had no idea."

The Arashi clone chuckled at this. "They hardly met for a few seconds and he is already turning into a baka. Let me assure you. Hinata-chan certainly isn't blind. If anything, her eyesight is better than most people."

Hoshi bowed towards Hinata. "I ask your forgiveness."

Hinata opened her eyes as the spots disappeared. "It is okay. You were just doing your job. I can't blame you for not knowing."

The Arashi pouted a bit. "Now why can't you be that forgiving with me?"

Hinata glared at him slightly. "Because you do it on purpose."

Arashi laughed a bit. "That is true." The clone felt quite happy at this exchange. "It appears that even after such an ordeal, the relationship between the two of us is too solid to be shaken. Thank goodness."

"How long do we have to stay here?"

"It will only be for twenty-five days at the most. Until then, you shouldn't try to move around unless I am done healing your ribs. The breaks there aren't very complex. I'll let you move around in two weeks, but only if your leg is properly splinted."

Hoshi looked at this with a smile on his face. "It is hard not to see how close these two are. It kind of reminds me of how my nee-chan used to treat me. I am going to miss how annoying she can get." A tear escaped his eye as he walked out of the building. He looked up a bit before an idea struck him. "I wonder what Arashi-san does everyday after leaving his clone behind." Seeing no one outside to ask, he decided to go into the forest to look.

After finding a fallen tree, he soon found Arashi. His eyes widened at the extraordinary sight before him. The very muscular man was on a device that looked like it was built to withstand a stampeding herd of elephants without a scratch. Very taut elastic tethers at least two feet thick were attached to each of his limbs. He was running on a treadmill so quickly that Hoshi saw only a blur while punching with incredible speed and force. An extraordinarily thick metal wall held the tethers and was covered in copper colored plates. To top it all off, four strangely shaped constructs with four fists each were attacking Arashi relentlessly at blurry speeds. This forced Arashi to constantly dodge the sixteen fists while keeping up what was most likely an insane speed. Hoshi began to approach. "Stop." He did as he was told. "These drones are designed to attack anything that moves. They strike with enough force to shatter a normal person's bones or kill them if it hits a vital spot. The copper plates behind me are charged with 800 volts of electricity. This is enough to be potentially deadly. I suggest that you stay where you are if you don't plan on leaving."

Hoshi could only find it harder to believe that Arashi could talk to him so calmly while still avoiding being beaten to a pulp. "Just how strong were those two that killed so many people in our village if it took someone capable of this to defeat them? What will we do if someone like them comes by again? Die is probably the only thing we will be able to do."

Hoshi continued watching Arashi for the remainder of the day. He paid the hunger in his stomach absolutely no mind as the sun began to set. All he cared about was watching Arashi train. Without warning, the mechanism stopped. Arashi detached the tethers from his limbs revealing that they were truly four feet thick. He leapt off of the treadmill and slammed his palm on the ground. Everything disappeared in a puff of smoke after being sealed back up. The large scroll was in turn sealed into the smaller scroll. Arashi prepared to go back to the village, but stopped when he saw Hoshi blocking his path. "What do you want?"

The dark tone and narrow eyes made Hoshi flinch a bit, but he held his ground. "I want you to teach me how to fight." The smirk that grew on Arashi's face was hidden by the darkness of the night.

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**Okay, I totally didn't expect this. First off, I didn't even plan for this chapter to exist when I started it. Also as soon as I gave Hoshi a name, he took on a life of his own. Now plans on how he can affect the far future of my story are swimming through my head. For those who think that a month isn't long enough to make Hoshi strong, you obviously haven't watched Kenichi. (Soundlesssteps laughs evilly to himself.)**

**Next Chapter: Broken Spirit.**


	34. Broken Spirit: Chapter 34

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Arashi woke up alone in a jail cell. He immediately broke out and found Hinata. After a little encounter with Hoshi, the doctor, and another villager; he took a nap. After Hinata's nightmare, he woke up and created a shadow clone to heal her as he went off to train. Hinata woke up in the next day showing little signs of what happened before. Hoshi left the clinic and went in search of the real Arashi. When he found the man training, Hoshi thought it was the most astounding thing he ever saw. At nightfall, he asked Arashi to train him.)

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**For those who are worried about it, Hinata and Arashi will leave the village at the end of this chapter. This chapter will be mostly comedic relief. You people deserve it after the scare I gave you two chapters ago. It will get serious at the end though. Well, let the tourt.. I mean training begin.**

**For those who are wondering, this chapter is a great example of what Naruto is going though in Kumo. Just imagine him doing it all with lots of extra weight.**

"**Broken spirit"**

"So, you want me to train you."

"H-hai, I want to be able to do more for my village than just heal simple illness or injury. I want to protect everyone from evil people."

Arashi's smile grew wider. "The masters of Ryōzanpaku once told me that they had two disciples before me. One became a killer, but the other became a protector. If I remember the stories right, that second one said words very similar to the ones Hoshi just said to me." A small chuckle escaped his lips. "I will train you, but let me first warn you that the training will be more intense than anything you could ever imagine. I am asking you right now if you are certain."

"Hai, I'm certain."

"Good, we will start tomorrow. Let's go back to the village Ho-chan."

Hoshi performed a sweat-drop. "Did he just call me Ho-chan?" As they went back, Hoshi looked at the now clothed man nervously. "Y-you aren't going to put me on that contraption; are you?"

"Of course not. That _contraption,_ as you put it, pushes me very close to my limits. If we compare what I am capable of to what you are capable of, it is like comparing an elephant with an ant."

"Oh come on; that isn't fair."

Arashi took up a thoughtful pose by looking at the dark sky. "I guess that you are right. That isn't fair." Arashi gave Hoshi a sideways glance. "To the ant."

Cascading tears ran down Hoshi's face. "He can't be serious."

When the reached the clinic, they found Hinata already asleep. Arashi followed her example and slept against the wall again. Hoshi went upstairs to where his room was, wondering what the next day would bring.

The next day came and everyone woke up. This time, Arashi created two clones before leaving. On of the clones transferred it's chakra to the other before walking out with Hoshi. Hoshi glared at the shadow clone. "Why aren't you teaching me personally?"

"The training I can give you will be no more intense than the training the original would give you. Also, who said that I would be teaching you anything?"

"Nani, you said you would teach me."

"I said that I would train you. Before you ask, I'll tell you the difference." Arashi took up an informative pose. "Teaching takes time. It involves telling you how to perform new techniques and practicing them constantly. If I were to try and teach you about chakra, it would take at least four months; and that is if you were overflowing with talent. Training you is much easier because we can start seeing results in a week. We are leaving soon, so that is for the best."

Hoshi nodded. "I understand. When do we start?"

The clone ran through hand-seals too fast for Hoshi to notice. "Earth Style: Construction." Much to Hoshi's surprise, earth began to come out of the ground and take the shape of a large doughnut. The clone then pulled out a long rope from nowhere and tied one end to the doughnut and another to Hoshi.

Hoshi pointed at this while sweat collected the back of his head. "Am I supposed to drag around that stone?"

"Don't worry Ho-chan. Its outside shell may be very dense and hard, but the inside is very light. It should be possible for a mite like you to lift."

Hoshi groaned. "There he goes calling me Ho-chan again. He even calls me a mite, a bug that is even weaker and smaller than an ant." Hoshi easily took notice when Arashi sat on the stone doughnut and became frustrated as a result. "How am I supposed to drag this thing with you sitting on it?

His eyes shone like flashlights as he pulled out a whip. "You aren't supposed to drag me, you are supposed to run."

Any argument Hoshi planned was silenced by the sound of a cracking whip right next to his ear. Not wanting to know how that felt on his skin, Hoshi began running. It started off slow before the whip began cracking viciously behind him. "ISN'T THERE A BETTER WAY TO DO THIS?"

"Hai, there is." Hoshi prepared to ask what that was. "RUN FASTER!" The whip barely grazed Hoshi's skin, showing that Arashi meant business. The other villagers looked at this with mouths agape. The idea of helping crossed their minds, but the fact that they couldn't keep up with the whip scared them off.

That turned out to be the most exhausting and painful hour of Hoshi's life. A gulp of air hardly spent half a second in his lungs as Hoshi panted heavily. The shadow clone looked down at him with a smile on his face. "Good, that does it for the warm up."

Acting on its own, Hoshi's body made him sit up. "Nani." Minutes later, he stood with his legs spread and his thighs parallel with the ground. Two pots with dirt in them rested on his legs. His arms were held out as far as possible with a pot in each hand. Another pot was on his head. Strapped to the middle of his arms were a pair of small blades that would pierce his sides should he let his arms fall. Burning candles rested under his rear, threatening to cover him in hot wax if he falls. "How long do I have to do this for?"

"When all of the candles burn all the way through the wax, you are done. Any more complaints or if you try to escape, I will add a new one. Just hope that the wind doesn't blow one of them out."

A villager walked by who Hoshi looked at with pleading eyes. The man was sent away by Arashi's flashlight glare. Hoshi's arms began to sink down, but the poke to the side brought them back up. "When he said training, this is not what I had in mind."

It took an hour and a half for the candles to burn out. When Arashi removed the blades and the pots, Hoshi remained there as if he were a statue. "You seem to be a bit stiff." An evil smirk grew on his face. "I know just how to take care of that."

**A minute later in Hinata's room.**

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" This high pitched squeal echoed through the room.

Hinata tried to sit up, but was held down. She still looked in the direction with a worried expression. "That sounded like Hoshi-sensei. We have to check on him."

However, the Arashi clone was doing his best to contain his amusement. He was failing miserably. "Don't worry…Hinata-chan…. I know that… scream." Unable to hold it in anymore, the clone fell over and began laughing his head off.

Hinata glared at him. "He defiantly has something to do with it."

Back in the forest, the original Arashi had to turn off the machine so his laughter wouldn't cost him injury.

**Back with Hoshi.**

Multiple wooden planks were attached to his arms, legs, and back. Thanks to the way these planks were arranged, whenever the wearer is pushed down, his legs are spread. His butt and upper body were being held flat against base for the device. He legs were perfectly perpendicular with his body. Due to the intense pain of being laid out like this in a single instant, he fainted. The Arashi clone just continued to hold him down regardless.

Every villager was looking at this in amazement. To them, Hoshi looked like he was on a torture device. The clone easily took notice of this. "I've got extras if anyone wants to join." Needless to say, everyone went on with their business.

Once thirty minutes passed, Arashi took him out of the device and straitened him out on the ground. Knowing that Hoshi would need to recuperate, the clone decided to pass the time by poking Hoshi's immobile body with a stick. This continued until the constant poking woke him up. He rolled over and began trying to crawl away. "BACK AWAY YOU DEMON!" **(Dun Dun Dun.)**

The Arashi clone appeared in front of Hoshi and gave him a combination of a shadowed glare and a flashlight glare. "A demon am I." His lips parted in a way that revealed an extraordinarily creepy U shaped toothy smile. "Then let's heat things up shall we."

Arashi set Hoshi up so that he was hanging upside-down by his feet. Using his abdominal and back muscles, he swung himself like a pendulum. This was because there was a bonfire roaring below him. The clone was crouched in front of the fire while using a fan to supply air to the flames. "YOU'RE INSAIN."

"Arigato; I will take that as a compliment." Arashi's laughter only served to fuel Hoshi's irritation.

One of the village's men decided that enough was enough and approached Arashi from behind. He held a three pronged pitchfork at the ready. A mere half second after his thrust, Arashi caught the central prong. When he got it back, the inch thick piece of metal was bent at a ninety degree angle. The clone glanced back at the man with darkened blue eyes. "I would suggest not doing that again. You know nothing about the limits of my patience."

Even though Arashi truthfully had great patience, this was enough to scare the man off. "ARE YOU TRYING TO COOK ME?"

The clone looked up absentmindedly as if he was only half listening. "I wonder what barbequed star taste like?"

Hoshi's tears began flying out. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" **Hoshi can translate into star.**

After thirty minutes, Arashi put out the flames and let Hoshi down hard. "Hey look; a falling star." Hoshi would have glared if it wasn't for his exhaustion. Lets see; we worked on leg strength, stability, flexibility, and the strength of you mid-section." Arashi looked down at Hoshi with a smirk. "Did you know that the human legs are normally three times stronger than the arms?" He didn't wait for a response. "The reason for this is very simple. The arms do not have to support the body's entire weight." Despite seeing it for only a few times in that day, Hoshi learned to fear that smile.

Dust clouds could be seen all over the village. Arashi's clone pushed a plow-like device that had Hoshi attached to the front. To keep himself from getting his faced plowed into the ground, Hoshi had to run on his hands. The result was more of his screams filling the village.

The days continued to pass by much like this one. Within the week, the villagers began to get used to hearing Hoshi's screams and even started laughing at him. They also learned to trust Arashi more because in Hoshi's _absence_, the Arashi clone had to take care of the clinic. Although Arashi was no medic, his knowledge was enough to serve the village's needs. The clone that trained Hoshi even spent the time it wasn't training him to dig up graves by shovel.

By the second week, Hinata's ribs and leg healed enough for her to be allowed out with a leg brace and crutches. This is when she got her first look of the training Hoshi was going through under Arashi. The first thing she did was ask both of them to stop. Thanks to seeing Hinata in crutches, Hoshi told her that he asked for it despite how his inner self protested.

On the third week, Arashi decided that he and Hinata would stick around for the full month to make sure that Hinata was completely healed. The truth was that he was having too much fun training Hoshi. Hinata asked to join, but she was refused due to her just recently healing.

At the end of the fourth week, Arashi went into the forest as per usual. The difference was that he didn't leave any Shadow Clones behind. He decided that Hoshi needed a day off before they leave. Both of Arashi's students decided to spend this day playing with the three children. Hoshi proved that he still had more energy than a normal person should. This is because of the secret chakra massages that Arashi gave him at night.

The group of four stopped when they heard a woman's scream. Hinata and Hoshi instantly noticed a man with shuriken in his back. Further back were four men of medium build and stature. From the way that they were dressed and the weapons they held with them, Hinata could tell that they where shinobi. The fact that they were attacking a random village meant that they were rouge. With no time to dwell on this, Hinata charged for them.

If it wasn't for the way she was running at them, the men would have merely laughed. Because she ran like a shinobi, they were a bit more cautious. The one in the front went through some hand seals before pulling out a chunk of earth. "Earth Style: Barrage."

Time suddenly slowed for Hinata as she watched large chunks of rock being sent for her. She tried to pull on her training, but all she could remember was a black and white face laughing at her. Due to the time wasted, Hinata only could guard the softer parts of her body. She was sent rolling on the ground as a result. She watched as one of the others ran at her with a sword ready to strike. "What happened to me? I should have stopped that attack." She forced her eyes to stay open as he closed the distance.

To the surprised of all five shinobi, the man was sent back by a blow to the stomach; courtesy of Hoshi. The man hunched over as a small dribble of blood came out of the left side of his lips. "Teme, that actually hurt."

It was Hoshi's turn to be unresponsive as the sword was turned on him. When he closed his eyes, he heard a nice loud clang. He opened his eyes to see two swords inches from his neck. The second sword belonged to Arashi. His blue eyes glared at the other men. "You know, I am really getting sick of all this." With a quick swipe of his own sword, Arashi sent the other flying into the air. Before the man could react, Arashi struck the sides of his head with his palms. Two more men charged him with their weapons drawn. One was a normal kusarigama while the other was a mace.

The one with the kusarigama tried to wrap Setsunamaru in the chain, but Arashi simply cut the chains in pieces. The mace wielder tried to hit Arashi, but the man caught it in his bare hands. Before the rouge shinobi knew it, he was unconscious. The other didn't have much more time to think before he joined his companion. Once that was done, Arashi slowly walked towards the last one in a menacing way. Obviously afraid, he ran away.

Arashi watched this in contempt. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." He turned to face the cloud of smoke. "Deal with those two then help out that man. I will go see where he is going." The clone nodded and ran off to use the Shockwave of Forgetfulness on the two from before. After that, he ran over to the man with shuriken in his back and started healing him as he pulled the weapons out. Luckily, none hit a vital organ.

The real Arashi ran after the panicked man. His trail was ridiculously easy for Arashi to follow while remaining undetected. Within minutes, he arrived at a large clearing. In this clearing were two large tents. Arashi watched as the man ran into the larger tent on the right. "Considering that these men have shinobi skills, this must mean that they are constantly on the move." With all his stealth, Arashi approached the smaller tent. Without even opening it, he could tell what was inside just by the smell and the feel of the area. "So, they are the kind of people who get kicks out of proving that they are stronger than most other people. That is the kind of thing that makes me sick."

He headed for the larger tent and walked right in. The man from before could be seen on the right with blood flowing out of his neck. Arashi turned his eyes towards the center where twin men sat on elevated chairs. The one on the right was the first to speak. "So you are the one."

"That Aoimaru was talking about."

Arashi nearly scowled at this. "Great, twins who finish their sentences; just what I wanted to deal with. Can we please skip all the pleasantries and just go to the part where I end you lives as shinobi bandits for good."

They immediately dashed in opposite directions in order to flank Arashi. He merely activated his Seikūken and waited for them to close the distance. The pair of kunai that was swung at his neck was easily dodged. They tried to reverse the direction and stab him in the head. Arashi performed a simple duck. They leapt back and began circling him. "Take this."

"Fire Style: Raging Spiral."

The flames slowly spread towards him and a perfect spiral pattern. Arashi let out a sigh of annoyance. "I don't even feel like using a jutsu." He formed a simple ram hand-seal and released a large amount of pure chakra. This alone was enough to dispel the flames. Both twins were frozen in place by the sheer force of this chakra.

Arashi turned to his left one and quickly struck the sides of his head. "Onii-san." Arashi took advantage of that man's worry and struck the sides of his head as well.

"And that takes care of that." Arashi walked out of the tent, taking the dead body with him and the twin's weapons. With a quick earth jutsu, he buried the body after storing the weapons for himself. Once that was done, he walked over to the smaller tent. He opened it to find the sight he expected. There were seven women of ages varying from the late teens to early thirties. They all wore tattered clothing that hardly covered their bodies. Various levels of malnourishment were evident through out.

He could clearly hear some of the words being exchanged in the room. The fear in their voices was easy to make out. He looked each of them over and noticed a red-headed woman in her early twenties staring him down. He also noticed that she was trying to hide a girl not much older than Hinata from his view. "Well, well; this one has some spunk left. The others most likely look up to her." Arashi pointed at this woman. "You, come with me. I suggest you follow calmly or I'll pick someone else."

The red-head glared and whispered under her breath. "Sick teme."

Arashi turned away and smiled at this. "Depending on how you look at it, I could very well have a sick mind." Arashi walked out of the tent with the woman following him. He hardly walked a few steps before stopping. "I expected there to be more of you. I thought that every woman in a village is taken. What happens to them all?"

Arashi faced her to see her teeth and hands clenching. "They are killed if they can't keep up."

"What is your name? Mine is Arashi Ayama."

She scoffed at him. "Itsume."

"Another question; if you could, would you like to forget about this whole ordeal and start a new more peaceful life?"

"DON'T PLAY WITH ME! THAT IS WHAT WE ALL WANT!"

"What if this included forgetting everything about who you are, including your name?" He noticed her becoming thoughtful. "Is it me, or do I have a certain talent for completely changing a subject. Come with me. Those twins should be up by now."

The women resumed glaring at him as she followed him into the larger tent. When they entered the tent, she glared at the twins as they walked towards them. She didn't even notice their confused expressions. "Ano can you."

"Tell us where we are?"

Arashi performed a sweat drop. "I completely wipe their memories and they are still doing that." He turned to look at the woman who was now wearing a highly confused expression. "The conversation we had previously was no joke. I am now offering it to you and the others. There is a village nearby where you can all start new lives. There is no doubt in my mind that you will be welcomed."

She looked up at him with eyes that showed a glimmer of hope. "Show me this village."

Arashi nodded before facing the twins. "You two can come along as well. You can spend your new lives there in peace as well." They were still confused but they nodded to each other. "Come on you three." As he expected, the twins had little trouble keeping up with the relatively slow pace he set. He noticed that the woman was trying much harder while glaring at the twins; looking for any sign that it could be a trick.

They quickly arrived at the village. "Arashi-shishō." He turned to see Hinata running strait for him.

"Good timing Hinata-chan. I would like you to take care of these two men. I would also like you to talk to the village leader about letting some people without a place to go into the village."

Hinata nodded. "Hai. Who is she?" Hinata looked at the woman exploring the village with her eyes.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan. She is just one of their captives. I am going back to set the rest free." He turned to face the red-head. "You should come along. I am certain that they will get worried if they see me enter without you. I'll go ahead." He was gone the moment he finished.

Itsume scowled at this. "What is with that man?"

Hinata gave her a knowing glance. "Tell me about it. I have been with him for a year and a half. I still can't figure out what he is thinking most of the time. You are better off not trying."

She shook her head before going to where her female comrades were. In that location, Arashi was trapped in thought. "That guy Hinata-chan fought against. He was far too weak for her to lose." Arashi heaved a sigh. "It appears that Hidan broke more than her bones." He bit his thumb and ran through a few hand seals. He then slammed his hand onto the ground. "Summoning Jutsu."

A squeaky boy like voice could be heard in the smoke. "Hey Arashi; it has been a while." The smoke cleared to reveal a salamander the length of a large dog but the height of a small one. Its body was mostly black with a blue line down its back and a blue tail.

"Gomen Hitomaru, but this is serious." Arashi took out a small note and looked at it with sad eyes. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to send this off. I want you to take this to Kumo." Arashi put the note in a small container and handed it off. "Head north-east from here to get there."

Hitomaru nodded after taking the container into his mouth. In the next moment, he was weaving through the trees. In the moment after that, Itsume showed. Arashi looked at her seriously. "You have yet to give me an answer concerning your memories of this ordeal. Let me assure you that the answer you give me will affect the others."

Itsume clenched her fists. "It would be easier if we could forget all this, but I don't think I want to give up my name. That is the only thing that is mine in this world."

"I could leave your memories intact and just remove the others. I am certain that you have learned all their names. You can also ask for their birthdays. If I do this, you have to promise to forgive those men for their crimes. They currently have no memories of their past lives and they will never regain those memories. They have the opportunity to atone for their crimes not in death, but in life." He handed her a scroll and a pen. "Write anything you need to right here."

Itsume clenched her fist again. "I don't know if I can, but I'll try if it is for the others."

Arashi nodded. "Good; you go in first." She did as she was told. Arashi followed her after a few minutes later. Because he didn't want to worry the women much, he did them all before it had time to register to the ones looking. After that, he waited for them to wake up. Once that was done, Itsume went around telling them their names. Arashi managed to catch that the youngest one's name was Miame.

Once that was all done, they all walked to the village. Shortly before arriving, they noticed Hinata, Hoshi, and the village leader waiting for them on the edge of the settlement. Arashi walked over to the latter of the three. "I hope that you will take good care of the newest members of your village." The man nodded with a smile. Arashi then walked over to the teens and faced Hoshi. "I hate to say this, but we are leaving now. You are going to have to continue your training on your own." Arashi pulled out a rather large scroll out of nowhere. "This should have everything you need in it. Do your best." He turned to Hinata. "I think that it is time we get back to your training."

Arashi turned away from them and began walking. Hinata followed after him after waving goodbye to all the others. Hoshi looked at this before looking at all of the women. His eyes lingered on Miame a bit longer than the others. He then looked at where Arashi and Hinata disappeared into the forest. "Arigato Arashi-shishō."

* * *

**Once again, I didn't expect this. I planed this chapter, but I didn't expect it to be so long compared to other chapters. It is well over 4500 words long. Now this story is going to get back on track.**

**Next Chapter: The Power of Fear.**


	35. The Power of Fear: Chapter 35

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." After Hoshi asked Arashi to teach him, Arashi decides to train to boy. Unfortunately for Hoshi, most of Arashi's training methods included using pain to force Hoshi to not stop. This resulted in exhaustion every day. By the end of the month, Hinata was fully healed. Unfortunately, a group of shinobi bandits appeared suddenly. Arashi showed up in time to save their lives. He took care of three of them and scared the fourth off. Following him led Arashi to the group's twin leaders and some women. He wiped the twin's memories and took them and a woman named Itsume to the village. Once that was done, he went back to the camp and summoned a salamander to carry a message to Kumo. After Itsume arrived, he let her go in and talk with the women for a bit. Once that was done, he walked in and wiped all their memories. With this dead completed, Arashi and Hinata left the village.)

* * *

"**The Power of Fear"**

The first thing that Hinata did for training after leaving that village was dance with Arashi. He created a stone platform that some clones could carry around so they could keep moving. It was more brutal for her than usual due to not moving very much for a month. Despite this, she realized that Arashi was being nowhere near as rough as he could be. It only took her three days to get back to her previous levels. Once that was done, he increased the difficulty considerably.

By the end of the seventh day, Hinata was on the ground panting as she usually is. Just like every other time this happens, Arashi splashed her with water. This acted as half annoyance and half relief for the Hyuga. After a few minutes of resting, Hinata sat up and looked at Arashi seriously. "Arashi-shishō; all we have done lately is dance. Usually you would have started teaching me something else by now."

"That reminds me Hinata-chan. There is something that I lied to you about."

Here eyes widened a bit. "Nani?"

"Do you remember what I told you about the jutsu that we spent a majority of our time teaching you?"

"Hai, you said that the chakra cost is far too high for only a slight increase in power." Her eyes widened a bit more. "Are you saying that you lied to me about that?"

"Technically, it was a half lie. The chakra certainly is very high. Depending on the size and shape you make it, you can probably only use it one or two times in one day. The part I lied about was its power. This upgrades its original form to a terrifying level. When you used it, I feared for my own life for the first time in years."

Her eyes started to quiver, showing that her mind went into shock. Arashi walked over to her and snapped his fingers in front of her face. A shake of her head showed that she was back in the real world. "Didn't you use a Lightning jutsu?"

"Hinata-chan, I have only one jutsu that has a chance of defeating yours. If I were to use it, the explosion would kill us both. If you time it right, you can kill anyone from a genin to a Kage. The reason I lied to you is that I didn't think you would take having this kind of power very well."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because of what happened in that fight over a month ago. If you knew the truth about your jutsu and if we switched opponents, both of us could have gotten out of that without injury. I am telling you this now so that you have as much power as possible. If everything else looks like it will fail, you will need something more. Speaking of something more, let's get back to your original question."

Hinata laughed nervously. "I _forgot _my original question. He is going to answer it anyways, so I might as well say nothing."

"There are two reasons why I haven't taught you anything new. The first reason is so we can get your muscles back to their peak. The second reason is that I have been thinking up jutsu that would be good for you. I got two ideas from dancing with you. Coincidentally, earth nature chakra happens to be perfect for both of the jutsu. I can teach you one of them right now. The other is another story."

"He is going to want me to respond here. Why is that Arashi-shishō?"

"I only have the idea for the jutsu. I have absolutely no clue how to get it to work yet. You and I will be the first to use it because I came up with it just yesterday. I do know that it will push your training on learning how to use earth nature chakra to the limit. I also know that it is focused on earth chakra's most important quality; at least in my opinion."

"What is this quality?"

"Earth chakra's main quality is its ability to absorb. This is why it is effective against water style jutsu. What this jutsu will absorb is not water, but chakra. Earth jutsu are the best medium for stealing an enemy's chakra outside of coming in direct contact with the person. In many cases, it is better. Once you learn both of the jutsu, you will understand what each is for."

"Hai Arashi-shishō."

The first of the jutsu was learned in just four days. Based on how Arashi told her how to use this jutsu, she easily figured out what they were trying to do with the second jutsu. She actually felt herself get excited at the jutsu's possibilities. She also couldn't wait to show her teammates both of them. After eight more days, Arashi was able to use the newer jutsu. It took Hinata another twelve days to master it.

At this point, a month has passed since they left the village. They were now entering another rural village. The largest building had large amounts of steam coming out from behind it. This was clear evidence that it was a hot spring. Still unsure about herself in some ways, Hinata blushed at the idea of showing herself in front of other women. Arashi took quick notice of this. "That girl's mind needs to mature a little. Oh well, I guess that I'll go easy on her this time around." Hinata took notice when Arashi started taking out the scroll that he has sealed her stuff into. Moments later, he held out the same laced bathing suit that he made for her long ago. Because he gave it the same property as her other clothing, it still was her exact size. "I am sure that you will want to put this on."

Hinata took it with a smile before falling behind a bit. Once she couldn't see his face, she started giving him a suspicious glare. "Okay, he is up to something. It is not like him to do this. He would normally demand that I go in naked."

About twenty minutes later, Hinata was sitting chest high in steaming water. Her left eye was twitching continuously. A few seconds passed before a hand was placed on her right shoulder. "Don't be like that Hinata-chan. You are supposed to be relaxing."

"You could have _told_ me that it was coed Arashi-shishō." Only a deaf man could have missed the annoyance in her voice. "What is someone else comes in."

"You really need to learn how to relax. This is a quality hot spring. Focus on the foliage and the scenery. You deserve it after learning that jutsu. You'll be able to throw even an experience jonin out for a loop. You'll have to return home and train with your team for a week or so before you can start using either of them the way they are meant to be used. Until then, don't use them."

"Hai, I understand. I _am_ wondering how my teammates will react to them."

"I am certain both will be surprised, even the emotionless Aburame."

"I don't know. It is hard to get Shino-kun to react to anything. He will just tell me that he is flattered."

Arashi smiled at her widely. "You see, it isn't _that _hard to relax." He chuckled when the teen returned to glaring at the water. He then snorted in a mocking way. "Humph, I think I'll try and find somewhere that isn't affected by your gloominess." Arashi began walking/swimming away from where Hinata was sitting. He soon disappeared in the haze of steam.

After finally getting tired of glaring in Arashi's direction, Hinata decided to move over to a secluded corner. She sunk all the way down to her neck and rested her head on the rock behind her. Her eyes closed as she let all her troubles melt away. It wasn't for much longer before she decided to get out.

Once she was out of the water, Hinata began to enjoy the feeling of the cool air on her reddened skin. She collected her waist long hair between two fingers and stretched out the water. She then took in a deep breath and made her way to the exit. Her eyes widened when she heard male voices coming from that exit.

Much to her discomfort, she was the first thing all three saw. The only comforting part about the way they looked was the towels around their waists. The more muscular one in the front smirked at her. "Look what we have here boys."

The taller one to her left walked forward and leaned towards her. "This is a hot spring missy. You aren't in the appropriate attire. Let me help you with that." As soon as he reached for one of the strings, Hinata covered more of herself with her arms and stepped out of his reach.

The shorter bald man on the right was next to make a move. "No need to be like that. If you just relax, all three of us will show you exactly how to have a good time."

All of the men began laughing at her. This laughter, along with what these men obviously intended to do, conjured up memories of Hidan. His own laughter pooled out from the depths of her memories and melded with the others. She looked exactly like she did when she was about to fight Neji in the chunin exams; before Naruto's encouragement. A teardrop collected on the side of each eye.

The muscular leader of the group smirked at her with lust in his eyes. "Look boys, she is scared." He paused for a moment to allow his smirk to grow further. "Kawaii."

Hinata was frozen, unable to do anything as the man reached for her. She was hardly aware that anything was happening to her. Only when the hand stopped an inch from being able to reach her top, did she gain any sense. She turned her head to see that it was Arashi holding the man's wrist firmly in his. "I would appreciate it if you men left my disciple alone. I tend to get mad if she is bothered."

Arashi let go of the man's wrist when he finished talking. He glared at Arashi for a few seconds before smirking with confidence. "Together, we have taken out our fair share of jonin level shinobi. If you back off now, we may forgive you for ruining our fun." The other two matched the leader's smirk perfectly.

Arashi's eyes narrowed at the men. "That is funny. I have done that very same thing by myself."

Hinata began to back away in an attempt to put some distance between her and the tense air created by the four men. She closed her eyes in prayer for Arashi's victory. As soon as she opened them, the tall and muscular men were falling to the floor. Her shishō dragged the bald man away from her until becoming invisible thanks to the steam. After a few more seconds, she heard a blood curdling male scream. "Do I even want to know?"

Arashi walked out of the steam and headed strait for her. "Thanks to these men, the air around here has become stagnate. Let's leave Hinata-chan."

The pair exited the hot springs and put their usual clothes back on. When Arashi started running for the large hills, Hinata was forced to follow. When they reached the top of this hill, Arashi hid behind a lone and withered tree. Hinata's immediate response was to hide behind a large rock and activate her Byakugan. At the bottom of the hill was a group of at least forty men. Most of them had dark brown skin and were very muscular. "What is going on here?"

Arashi quickly left his spot behind the tree and joined Hinata in her hiding spot. He crouched down so that his head was next to hers. "Those men you encountered where more than passing jerks. They are actually part of a large group of shinobi bandits. I learned this thanks to what that bald man so _graciously_ told me. I also learned that those three where in the village to scope it out for any potential problems. I think we should take care of these men before they can cause any more trouble. I should warn you that because those three were scouts, they are much weaker than these men."

All of Hinata's body began to tremble from the neck down. It was clear as day that she was completely terrified of the men at the bottom of the hill. "No, I am not ready for this. I don't stand a chance against any one of those men. We have to leave and get help somehow." She turned her head to face Arashi. "Arashi-shishō."

She had to turn her head again when she saw that he wasn't there. Much to her horror, she found him standing on top of the rock in plain view. What happened next was even more terrifying. "I AM ARASHI AYAMA, AND I WILL STOP ALL OF YOU HERE AND NOW!"

"WHAT IS HE DOING? He may be able to do this, but there is no way I can. As long as I stay hidden, I should be fine."

"I WILL DO IT WITH THE HELP OF MY DISCIPLE!" Arashi bent down and picked Hinata up by her jacket before setting her right at his side.

Hinata was far too dumbfounded by these actions to even think about what to do. Every single one of those men has seen their faces. The worst part was that they were all glaring at them. No matter how she looked at it, there was now way out of the situation. Arashi slipped his arms under hers and carried her as he started down the hill. Hinata's mind decided at this time to regain a small amount of sense. "Arashi-shishō is insane. Arashi-shishō is insane. Arashi-shishō is insane. Arashi-shishō is insane."

When they reached the bottom of the hill, the pair was only twenty feet away from the men. All half of the men pulled out a katana and took up a fighting stance. The others soon pulled their own weapon of choice. Arashi drew out Setsunamaru. "Hinata-chan, I know that you are scared. Do not let that fear keep you from acting. Instead, do the exact opposite."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Is that what this is about? Is he trying to break me of my fear?" She had no more time to contemplate this as ten of the men charged for them. Arashi was able to intercept nine of them, but the tenth made it through and was heading straight for her. Using a large amount of will power, she forced her fear back to the back of her mind. Hinata focused her chakra into her fingers and prepared to deflect the blade being swung at her. Because of the focus going into holding back her fear, the chakra was only strong enough to stop the blade for a split second. This was enough time for her to fall back enough for it to barely miss her jacket.

"Hold still you brat." He kicked Hinata in the stomach. Once she recovered, Hinata dashed into a group of scattered trees that have lost their leaves. "Come out, come out wherever you are."

Hinata just sat against panting heavily. Thanks to her panicked state, she forgot to activate her Byakugan. "What do I do? There is no way Arashi-shishō is saving me this time. I am on my own. But, I'm so scared. I don't want to die here. All my friends back at Konoha, Kurenai-sensei, Hanabi-chan, and Naruto-kun. But what can I do." Hinata closed her eyes a put all her focus on her fear. It spread out from her core and enveloped every part of her body.

Without even thinking about it, she quickly bent forward. The result was losing a few hairs off her head. Reacting instantly again, she rolled to her right. The man's sword was stabbed in the ground where she just was. "Heh, you're quick for a kid."

Hinata's eyes widened at the actions she seemed to perform without thinking. "What is happening to me? Somehow, my body just knew where his attacks would be." She watched as the man took on a sword stance. It was very clear that he was poised to strike her right side. "His killer intent. I have been able to sense killer intent for a long time, but this is different. It is almost like I can feel it."

The man charged at her with his sword at the ready. "Let's see how she handles my feint." He swung the sword strait for her side. Hinata swept her hand in-between herself and the swords path. Without any warning or apparent reason, Hinata ducked. The man's reaction was to freeze completely in shock. He was defenseless against the Jūken strike in his solar plexus. The blow forced him unconscious.

"I could feel it. His killer intent seemed to focus on my neck. I knew that first strike was a feint from the start." An uncomfortable feeling in the middle of her back came to her attention. She dashed to the side to avoid being pierced by a spear. Hinata spun around a struck that man in the same place as well. "Arashi-shishō never intended for me to get over my fear. He wanted me to start using my fear as a way to get stronger."

She looked around for the man she knew as her shishō. Much to her surprise, she found him standing in the middle of a large group of unconscious men. "He defeated them all in that short of time." She quickly took notice of the very serious expression on his face. She turned her head to see him facing one last man.

* * *

**As much as I hate doing so, this is the perfect spot for the chapter to end. Just how strong can a man that Arashi is taking seriously be? You will just have to find out next week.**

**PS: I would like to know if anyone thinks that the chapter's title fits well.**

**Next Chapter: Arashi is Insane.**


	36. Arashi is Insane: Chapter 36

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." After a week of dancing, Arashi explained to Hinata how he lied to her about her jutsu. He also planned on teaching her a brand new pair of jutsu. It took her till the end of the month to learn both. Once that was done, they stopped at a small village that had a hot spring. Unaware that it was coed, Hinata was easily tricked into entering. Soon after Arashi left her alone, Hinata decided to leave. On her way, she ran into three perverted men. Because she was too scared to do anything, Arashi had to save her. He then led her to a more dangerous place. As Arashi dealt with nine men, she had to deal with a tenth. Due to her terror, she ran away. In a moment of grief she let her fear take full control of her. As a result, Hinata gained the ability to know where an enemy will strike by their killer intent. Once she finished with one more man, she saw Arashi staring seriously at the last man standing.

* * *

"**Arashi is Insane"**

**REVIEW REPLY: I received a very interesting anonymous review for the last chapter. The main point of the review was that I should start showing a weaker side to Arashi. Ironically enough, that is what the next few chapters are about. It will show his weaknesses and inner demons, but I still won't make him out as an idiot. The idea that this is the reason I don't receive many reviews is pretty stupid. I only have around 140 readers. I had 400 for chapter 32, but that chapter was unfortunately on the same week as Hinata's ****confession in the manga. Needless to say, a lot of people were unhappy. I couldn't even receive reviews for that chapter thanks to Fan-fiction crashing right after my update. He also said that Arashi is this strong because of Hanzō. If anyone is paying attention to my story, they should know that his power is because of ****Ry****ō****zanpaku****; not just Hanzō.**

**I am trying my hand at an abnormal character in this story. I am sure that most of you can guess who he is from his first line of dialogue. Honestly, I think I am better at it than the real character is; at least some times.**

The man Arashi was staring down had dark brown skin and white hair with a yellow tint that was combed back like Hidan's hair. He also had a very tidy beard of the same color. He wore a baggy white scarf, clothing that showed off his muscles, and black sunglasses. "You may have beaten those guys, but against me, you shall dies. Oh _yeah_."

Hinata's mouth would have dropped at the man's song-like form of speech if it weren't for the seriousness of the two men. Much to her surprise, Arashi picked up another person's sword and held it in his left hand. It was even more surprising when the dark skinned man pulled out six swords. Two where held in the joints of his left leg. Two more rested in each of his elbow joints. Another was held in his mouth. The last one was held to his shoulder by his neck. "How can he fight like that?"

Arashi charged for the man and stopped just before reaching him. As soon as he did, auras of calm surrounded both men and clashed. For Hinata, she couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. The memory of when this happened before suddenly hit her.

**Flashback to the first month of her training with Arashi.**

Hinata could sense the tension in the air between the pair. This tension scared her. It only became tenser as the distance closed. Suddenly, the Arashi pair spoke in unison. "Hinata-chan; your father, Tsunade, and Might Guy … they can easily be called the greatest taijutsu users in your village. Even so, they can not be called taijutsu masters. They are far from it." They paused in both speech and movement when their feet were only an inch from each other. The tension was literally palpable. The water between them was being pushed up by some unseen force that pushed on it from a central point under each Arashi. Hinata activated her Byakugan in hopes of seeing how their chakra was causing this, except for the fact that they weren't using their chakra for anything but their doujutsu and standing on the water. "LET US SHOW YOU WHAT A REAL TAIJUTSU MASTER CAN DO … SEIKUKEN!"

**Flashback end.**

After a small shift in his feet, the dark skinned man became just a blurry mass. All she could hear was a sound similar to that of a buzzing hornet or bee and the sound of connecting metal. Arashi's arms disappeared as he deflected countless sword strikes from equally countless directions. The pure power radiating off of the pair forced Hinata to take a step back.

Although it was only for ten seconds at the most, the barrage seemed to last minutes in her eyes. Arashi discarded the sword he picked up and took a new one. Before he could he could do anything, the other man put away his swords and held out his hands in a gesture asking Arashi to stop. "Wait there a second, I need some time. My thoughts collected, into a great rhyme."

Hinata watched dumbfounded as the man pulled out a notebook and began writing in it. "He is in the middle of a fight and he is writing." She turned her eyes towards Arashi. The man's body was trembling considerably. "I guess that even Arashi-shishō is getting annoyed."

Her shishō began walking towards his opponent in a seemingly calm manner. He prepared his swords for use once the distance was closed. After this, the stranger put away his notebook and retook his six-sword stance. "Your patience was nice. Now, time to slice and dice."

The dark skinned man once again turned into a human buzz-saw. Arashi once again started deflecting his blows. Without warning, a bolt of lightning shot out from one of the blows. Three more came out in quick succession. The resulting thunder sounded like the real deal. "They both must be using lightning chakra to enhance their blades."

The area became defining as every blow released a bolt of lightning. The two combatants could only be seen as a giant orb of lightning. The earth around them was completely destroyed, yet they kept going. "What an intense battle."

A true minute passed before they separated. The combatant with dark skin was panting considerably. Arashi on the other hand was just breathing harder than normal. "Your fighting style is great for taking out an opponent quickly. Unfortunately, if you have to face someone who is able to protect himself from it, you can get tired fairly quickly."

The man's only response to this was to smirk. Her eyes widened in surprise when what looked like reddish-purple chakra bubbled out of the man and surrounded him in an oddly shaped cloak. Hinata saw him charge forward at a far greater speed before stopping suddenly. When she looked at Arashi, she saw him holding his hand out in the stop gesture. "What is Arashi-shishō doing?"

The other man smirked and put away his swords. As he did this, the chakra cloak disappeared. This only served to confuse Hinata further. "So we are done?" The man took on a more relaxed stance and smirked wider. "And I was just having fun, oh _yeah_."

Arashi disappeared and reappeared at the man's side with his arm draped over his shoulder. After that, he began laughing loudly. Hinata was more confused than she has ever been in her life. "I think that I just entered an alternate reality. That is the only explanation."

All of the men that she thought Arashi took care of sat up and began laughing as well. It didn't take took long for the man Arashi had his arms around to start laughing as well. This continued for half a minute. "Kirābī, the only thing that has changed is that you've moved up to six swords at once. In a few years, you'll be able to reach your goal of being able to use eight effectively."

"From Arashi-dono, that is high praise. You d-know, how you made my days."

"Okay, that was a pretty bad one Kirābī. Sometimes, it would be better for you to keep them to yourself."

"That is something I can't do. I always have to let out something new."

Arashi laughed for a few seconds. "Well that one was a bit better. Even so, you should try speaking normally more than ten percent of the time."

"Do not lament. It's more like five percent."

The group of men resumed their laughing. Hinata finally got over her surprise and narrowed her eyes. "Arashi-shishō seems to know who their leader is, which means only one thing. THIS WAS A SETUP!" All of the men just started laughing louder, fueling her irritation and confirming her guess. "I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!"

Arashi reduced his laughter to snickering. He removed his arm from Kirābī and appeared next to Hinata. "The men who where tasked with attacking you had their weapons blunted heavily. If they actually hit you, you would only have a bruise. Speaking of which, those may need some medical care."

Kirābī walked over with a smile on his face. "Bringing a Hyuga here. No one could be crazier."

"What does he mean by that Arashi-shishō?" He walked over to them with the two men on his and a clone's shoulders. "I didn't even notice him doing that."

"ALRIGHT MEN, WHY DON'T YOU SHOW HINATA-CHAN WHERE YOU ARE FROM?" The laughing stopped to smirk.

Hinata watched as they all pulled out a hidden village headband. She quickly realized that she was surrounded by Kumo shinobi. "THIS IS KAMINARI NO KUNI!" **Land of Lightning.**

Arashi gave her a thumb up and a smile. "That's right Hinata-chan." He quickly turned his attention to Kirābī. "Why are you calling me crazy? Certainly you know why I am here. I did explain it in the letter I sent."

Kirābī once again started laughing. "Your personality has yet to wane. Arashi-dono, you are insane; oh yeah."

"Even if you are well known in Kumo, I have to agree with Kirābī-san on this Arashi-shishō."

Kirābī leaned towards Hinata and frowned at her. "Your choice of words is incorrect. You are to address me with more respect."

Hinata nodded slowly and nervously. "Don't be like that Kirābī. Hinata-chan had no knowledge of your superiority complex. You are scaring her."

All of the men immediately started laughing. One of them walked over to Arashi. "Arashi-dono; isn't that what you had us come here for."

"Hai, I did have you come here to give her a good scare, but the need for it is over. I believe that she has learned what I wanted her to." He faced Hinata. "You can feel it, can't you? You can feel what your fear is truly for."

She looked at Arashi seriously. "Hai, I can." She quickly dodged to her right, narrowly dodging being punched in the left shoulder.

"That is good Hinata-chan. We are going to have to work on it though. There are shinobi who can contain their killer intent the same way a good Sei fighter can. The better you get at this, the more easily you can sense contained killer intent. Your life may depend on this." His smile grew on his face. "You seem to be quite comfortable even though you are surrounded by Kumo shinobi."

"I, I." She started pouting and crossed her arms.

"Hey look men, she's pouting. Kawaii." She blushed as the men started laughing at her again but she maintained her expression. "Oh look, it is those three."

Hinata looked to see the same men that harassed her in the hot spring. The difference was that they were fully clothed and wearing Kumo headbands. "Them too?"

Arashi walked over to them with a smile on his face and a waving hand. "Hello you three; I was very impressed with the act you put up earlier. I almost believed for a second that you three thought you could defeat me."

The men's expressions fell. "We don't know whether to be insulted on flattered."

Arashi laughed at them. "Just think about how strong I am."

The men smiled along with him. "Arigato Arashi-dono."

"At least you understand, that my speech is grand."

The muscular one laughed nervously. "Hai Kirābī-sama."

Arashi clapped his hands in an unnecessary attempt to attract attention. "Well, now that we are done with all of this, I would like to get on with things. I will be visiting near the end of the month. I hope that the other person I sent to you will be gone a week before the month ends."

Kirābī laughed. "I am sure that Yugito is having plenty fun with.…" Kirābī was suddenly silenced by Arashi covering his mouth.

"I though that I specifically wrote in the mission summary that _he_ is not to be mentioned." Kirābī laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. Arashi quickly appeared at Hinata's side after handing the men off to Kirābī. "I am kind of getting bored of this reunion. We are going into the mountains to perfect Hinata-chan's newest skill. Let's go Hinata-chan."

Without even waiting for her response, Arashi bent down in front of her and pulled her onto him piggy back style. She instantly reacted by taking hold of him. The Kumo shinobi watched as the pair quickly disappeared. Kirābī smirked. "I wonder how strong the two that Arashi-dono has chosen will become."

Arashi raced towards the mountains with Hinata secured to his back. During the trip, Hinata was stuck in her thoughts. "What was all that about. I know that Arashi-shishō is responsible for saving Kumo from their previous Kage; I had no clue how thankful they are to him. He was able to ask for a large number of their shinobi just for the purpose of training me. It would take at least five clan heads in Konoha to do the same thing; and even then, most of the shinobi involved would have to come from those clans. I think that just by being his disciple, I can walk right into Kumo without a care." Her eyes widened a bit before narrowing again. "Sometimes, I really hate this man. He truly is insane."

The remainder of that month was spent training Hinata's ability to feel Arashi's killer intent. With each passing day, he reduced the killer intent slightly. Hinata continued to dodge him using her fearful instincts to guide her movements. Large numbers of shattered rock surrounding them proved that Arashi was not kidding with his punches. She was fully aware that if a punch hit, she would not be getting up anytime soon. Even when a blow didn't hit, each punch was strong enough to create a damaging slipstream. The result was Hinata having bruises all over her body.

Once the month neared its end, they spent a day resting before heading out once again. Without being told, Hinata knew full well where she was going. This is why she had no reaction as she stood before the gates leading into Kumogakure. Arashi turned his head to face her with a smile. Well Hinata-chan; we can't stay out here forever." He slipped his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker and walked through the gates. "It sure has been a long time."

Hinata followed him closely. The idea of walking straight into the village that once tried to have her kidnapped still did not sit well with her. The way ever single person they passed stared in her direction proved to be unsettling. I only took her a few moments to realize that they were more focused on Arashi. After a few more seconds, the people began to cheer his name. "That's Arashi-shishō for you; creating a scene by walking down a street." Hinata leapt forward at the sudden amount of killer intent she felt at her back.

Both were already facing the direction by time kunai entered the ground. Hinata had a serious expression while Arashi had on a bored one. A woman with long blond hair tied into a single cylindrical ponytail landed in front of them. It was very clear that she was angry by her expression. She pointed at Hinata while glaring at Arashi. "WHO IS THIS GIRL?!"

Arashi released a sigh. "I am going to have to get back at those two brothers for this one. Didn't I tell you that I have little interest in women much younger than myself Yugito-chan? Not only is she twenty years younger than I am, she is also my disciple. I am guessing that Kirābī and your Raikage haven't told you yet."

Yugito donned a confused expression from Arashi's words. "I see." She walked forward with a smile on her face. Without warning, she leapt forward with her arms spread wide. "ARASHI-SAMA!" Because he was already gone from that spot, she landed on the ground.

She the most innocent pose possible while seated on the ground and looked up at Arashi with teary eyes. "Yugito-chan, if that didn't work when you where younger, what makes you think that it will work now?"

The twenty-eight year old woman's face went into full pout mode. "You're so mean."

Hinata couldn't believe her eyes or ears. "I can't believe that this beautiful woman is a fan-girl."

She just finished that thought as she heard a mix of female screams that reminded her of her academy days. "ARASHI-SAMA!"

Arashi simply sighed. "And here come the fan-girls. Hinata-chan, I don't think it would be a very good idea for us to stick around here any longer." He bent down and picked her up by the waist.

Hinata scowled and crossed her arms as Arashi carried her off. "It would be nice if you warned me about these things."

"Which are you talking about Hinata-chan? Is it the fan girls, or picking you up?"

"A warning for both would have been nice."

"Come on Hinata-chan. You aren't even getting as surprised as you used to."

"That's because you do this so often, that I have given up of being surprised." Hinata's words resulted in Arashi laughing very loudly.

Using his chakra, Arashi climbed up a tall structure with a thick disk at the top that was built coming out of a mountain. Once he reached the top, Arashi opened the window and jumped right in. Arashi dropped Hinata in time for her to avoid being caught in a hug from a massively built dark skinned man. The clothing he wore proved that he was the Raikage. Hinata watched as Arashi returned the hug. It took a cracking sound for her to realize what was really happening. Although they both had happy smiles on their faces, the determination in their eyes said something else. "They are having a hugging contest. They are actually trying to find out who can hug the other harder."

This continued for a few seconds before a woman coughed into her fist. "Raikage-sama, if you have the time to compete in this foolish competition, then you have the time to complete your paperwork."

The man spoke with a strained voice. "Not now, I am about to win this."

Arashi spoke with a similar voice. "As if. There is no way you are ever going to defeat me."

"We shall see Arashi-dono."

The woman released a sigh and walked towards the men while going through some hand-seals. Both of them where too caught up in the contest to notice her. "Lightning Style: Static Build." As soon as she touched them, they separated thanks to volts of electricity arcing between them.

Arashi looked at the woman with a pout on his face. "That isn't fair. I was about to win that."

"You are too confident Arashi-dono. Do you think that I have spent all this time behind my desk doing paperwork? I have spent a large amount of my free time in that Ryōzanpaku dojo that you had built here. It would be foolish to underestimate me."

"And what do you think I have been doing all my time in Konoha; knitting. I built a hidden training ground under my shop. I am certain that I have had a lot more free time than you have. I wasn't even trying."

The big man smirked. "Is that why you where having trouble speaking earlier."

"Don't even try going down that road _Raikage-sama._ It was clear that you where having a lot more trouble than I was."

"Are you picking a fight with me _Arashi-dono?_"

"Anytime, anywhere."

"How about right now, right here."

"STOP!" The men stopped in the middle of preparing to charge the other and looked nervously at the woman. She walked to them and grabbed them by the ears. They hopped on one leg as she pulled the massively built men over to a large desk. She sat the Raikage down at his desk and released Arashi after positioning him in front of the desk. Both rubbed their ears as they scowled at the woman.

Hinata looked at this with slightly widened eyes. "For some reason, I feel like I am back home in Konoha."

Arashi looked at her and smirked. "What is wrong Hinata-chan? I thought that you gave up on being surprised." The change to glaring was instantaneous.

As Hinata stood up and walked over to Arashi, the woman gave her a knowing glance that clearly said one thing. 'I know how you feel.'

After reaching Arashi's side, Hinata turned towards the serious looking Raikage. "He looks pretty scary now."

"Arashi-dono; why have you come here?"

Arashi closed his eyes in thought for a great amount of time. The tension built up as everyone listened to just the sounds of their own breath. After around a minute, Arashi finally opened a pair of emotionless eyes. That expression suddenly broke out into a wide smile. "I am leaving Hinata-chan in your care for six to eight months as I take care of something elsewhere."

Hinata's eyes and mouth went as wide as they would allow. "NANI?!"

Hinata's question was answered by the Raikage's laughter. He stopped suddenly and gave Arashi a wide smirk. "If I didn't already know the answer, I would ask you if you were insane."

As both of the men laughed, the door to the room was slammed open. "ARASHI-SAMA!"

"Ah, perfect timing Yugito-chan." He grabbed her hands, causing her to blush considerably. "There is a favor that I can only ask you for."

Her blush became even darker. She removed her hands from his and placed them on her face. She also started turning her head side to side. "Oh Arashi-sama, this is so sudden. I never imagined that it would happen like this." She stopped turning her head and gave him a sultry glance. "I'll do anything _Arashi-sama._" She made sure to speak each syllable separately.

Each person in the room performed a sweat-drop and laughed nervously. "As per-usual, you have the wrong idea Yugito-chan. Today just happens to be Hinata-chan's birthday. I was hoping that you would take her to get the best treatment this village has to offer."

Hinata's eyes widened a bit. "I didn't even know that it was my birthday today. I have to start noticing when it is coming." Her eyes narrowed a bit. "Leaving me alone in Kumo on my birthday; Arashi-shishō has a very twisted mind."

Yugito blinked for a few seconds before pouting. "You shouldn't get a woman's hopes up like that."

"Gomen Yugito-chan. I would still like you to do this." He leaned in real close to her ear and whispered into it. "There is one more thing I need you to do. Hinata-chan is a very gentle girl. I doubt she has it in her to scare off wannabe boyfriends despite the fact that she has eyes for only one guy. I am sure that you know the blond very well. I want you to act as a boy shield."

Her eyes widened for a moment. "She's interested in that little loudmouth. Oh well, if Arashi-sama says so." Yugito let out a feral growl. "I still remember how the last one ran. It shouldn't take long before they get the message." They both chuckled as Arashi stood up straight after handing over a package with money and something else in it. Yugito looked at Hinata with a slightly intimidating gaze. "Alright brat, you're coming with me. You are going to have a birthday worth remembering."

Hinata looked at Arashi who was giving her that smile that told her that she didn't really have a choice in the matter. "Considering that this is supposed to be a birthday present, it should turn out to be a good day." Hinata followed Yugito out of the room.

Once the door closed, Arashi faced the Raikage. "I don't want to take any chances with her. I want her to be stronger, faster, more resilient, and to have more stamina. Give her the scroll to help her with her being earth-natured. Although you should be light with it, make sure she develops full immunity to you-know-what by time I return. Her existence here should be kept inside this village as well. We don't want to start up any unnecessary conflict. I should return in seven months time at the most. I hope to see my disciple at a much higher level by then."

"Understood Arashi-dono. Can you tell me what you will be doing?"

Arashi turned his back to the large man. "I am paying my first shishō a little visit."

"Be careful Arashi-dono."

He looked back with a smile. "Don't you know who you are talking to?"

"That is what worries me? You do have a tendency to bite off more than what most people can chew. Sooner or later, you may find yourself in a situation beyond your own limits."

"That is why I have spent over a decade preparing for this moment. I don't plan to kill him, but I will humiliate him for what he has done to me. The only way to do that is to defeat him in a completely one-sided battle. I shall see you when I return." Arashi began walking out but stopped. "One more thing. If I don't return in eight months, I am most likely dead. If this is the case, return Hinata-chan back to her village. I doubt that this will be necessary because I have no intention on dieing." He left without another word.

**In the streets of Kumo.**

"Never in my life did I think I would ever be strolling down the streets of Kumo." Hinata looked around while wearing a pair of shades that hid her eyes but let in a large amount of light. She followed Yugito all the way to the inside of a building. Looking around, she noticed that she was in a very fancy spa. "I am defiantly going to enjoy this."

Yugito walked up to the desk. "I would like the deluxe package for my friend here." She handed over the package of money.

The woman opened the package and looked at the sizeable sum inside. "I am sorry, but this is not enough to cover the price."

Yugito hummed. "I see. And Arashi-sama was so hoping to give his disciple the best for her birthday."

"DID YOU JUST SAY THAT SHE'S ARASHI-DONO'S DISCIPLE?!" This caught the attention of _everyone_ in the area. Hinata blushed at having all of their undivided attention. "I'll talk this over with the manager."

"There's no need. I am sure that Raikage-sama heard you." They turned to see an elderly woman walking straight for them. She stopped right in front of Hinata and looked her over with appraising eyes. "Are you truly Arashi-dono's disciple?" Hinata nodded as she was unable to respond under the elder's gaze. She continued to look Hinata over. After a few tense moments, she smiled. "You look like an honest girl. Considering recent events, your story is even more believable." The woman turned to face the receptionist. "I am sure we can afford allowing a single discount." The woman nodded and took the money she was given. "Come with me. I am sure that each of our masseuses would like to meet you."

Hours later, Hinata finally walked out of the building. "It is official; Arashi-shishō always knows just what to get me for my birthdays. I honestly think I can get used to living here." She let out a content sigh that held the very last remnants of her stress. "I wonder what Arashi-shishō is doing right now."

**A considerable distance away from Kumo.**

Arashi raced through the terrain at a speed that a jonin couldn't maintain for more than an hour. "I hope that Hinata enjoyed her day because the ones that are coming up will be hell." His expression turned serious. "It is finally time to pay Hanzō-shishō back for his crimes against me."

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**This was a very long chapter. I didn't feel like looking for mistakes. Hinata won't be making an appearance for a while. I am sure that you people have an idea on what is about to happen.**

**Next Chapter: Arashi's Past.**


	37. Arashi's Past: Chapter 37

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Arashi and the other man clashed fiercely. A volt of lightning sparked off of their attacks each time they connected. Minutes later, the events of the whole day were revealed to be a set up. After some conversation with the cloud group, Hinata and Arashi headed for Kumo. The first thing they did was meet up with the Raikage after a run-in with Yugito. Both he and Arashi entered a contest of strength without warning. It was then revealed that Hinata will be left alone in Kumo for training. Yugito walked in and was asked to take Hinata to a spa; which was both eventful and relaxing. As she remained unaware of the days to come, Arashi readied himself for his version of revenge.")

* * *

"**Arashi's Past"**

**Yippee, my story has finally regained it's glory from before the chapter 32 incident. I hope I receive more reviewers soon.**

**I wonder how many people remember the original summary. If you do, then you should realize which part of it applies to Arashi by now. If you don't, it is in the first chapter.**

Arashi was very happy that he decided to make a windbreaker part of his usual outfit. Not only did it work wonders for reducing the wind-chill factor, but it was a light and comfortable alternative to keeping the rain off. This is what went through his mind he saw foreboding rain clouds as his destination. The large village gates he saw beneath the clouds were even more foreboding. "I wonder how difficult Hanzō-shishō is going to make even getting to him. That man has always been very paranoid." Arashi dropped off of his stone perch and made a beeline for the gates across an open field.

**Flashback.**

"Okaa-san." A young boy no older than seven latched onto the leg of a woman with mid-length dark hair with occasional dark blond streaks that blended in well with the darker hair. She looked down at the child with kind dark green eyes. "There you are Arashi-chan. How has your day been?"

"Look at this Okaa-san." Arashi closed his eyes and reopened them. Instead of them being hazel, his eyes became light blue.

"Oh, looks like you _are _growing up. Maybe I should start calling you Arashi-kun now?" The woman gave him a small smile. "It doesn't look like a lakes surface like your father's does yet. It will be a while before you master the Keikigan."

Arashi gave his mother a wide smile. "I'll have this down by time I'm nine."

"Are you sure about that Arashi-chan? Your father says that he was fourteen before he could completely master his Keikigan. Your sister is twelve and still hasn't mastered hers. You shouldn't get your hopes too high."

"But Otou-san said that high hopes are the key to happiness. If you fail, you can make a new goal and try for that. It is always better than not trying at all."

The woman chuckled into her hand. "It sounds like you are quoting your father word for word. Why don't you try coming up with something new yourself." Arashi spent a few seconds thinking before dragging his mother into another room of the house. This room was filled with colorful threads and sewing needles. After being brought to a chair, the woman sat down on it. "You want to make it, don't you Arashi-chan?"

"Hai Okaa-san." He cutely climbed onto the chair and sat at her lap and shifted a few times.

His mother chuckled at his actions. "Arashi-chan is a surprising child. When he is with me, he acts like a three-year-old. When he is with his father, he is like a little teenager." She broke her musings and smiled down at him. "What do you want to make."

"A white pillow with red words and pink lace."

"Alright Arashi-chan." She pulled out two rectangular pieces of cloth and placed them to the side. She also pulled large amounts of cotton. Once those where out, she pulled out the string and lace they would need.

They started by placing the pieces of cloth on top of each other with in between at three of the sides. The woman watched closely as Arashi carefully sealed the three sides with a thin white string. Because he started doing this with her since he was four, he made few mistakes that she needed to call him on. When he reached the middle of the last side, the door opened. On the other side was a young girl. She looked at the scene with apathy. "You shouldn't spoil Gaki like that Okaa-san."

Arashi stopped and glared at the girl. "My name is Arashi Haru-nee."

"You'll always be Gaki to me."

She closed the door before she could see Arashi stick his tongue out at her. He pouted for a few seconds before returning to his work. Once the third side was finished, he stuffed in the cotton and sewed the pillow shut with the last bit of lace added in. He then began sewing words into the top left of the pillow. With the guidance of his mother, he managed to finish the phrase he had in mind. "If you sleep with love, then your rest will be hearty. Now I understand why you wanted to make a pillow."

"Can you put it on my bed for me Okaa-san? I want to go out and play." The woman smiled as the excitable child ran out of the building. Outside of his home, Arashi ran through the open area. Although there weren't many people in his clan thanks to wars, they lived in a larger than needed compound. If it wasn't needed, a new house wasn't built. This was the reason for the open space.

Arashi ran around the area with his arms spread wide, occasionally falling down on purpose. During one of those falls, he bumped into the leg of a much larger person. The seven-year-old looked up at the imposing figure. His clothing was a very simple black outfit. The only identifying feature was a re-breather that covered nearly all of his face. "Watch where you are going gaki."

Arashi trembled in placed as the man walked by him. He looked around many times, surveying the village. Those who saw him ran into their homes. He continued to look around. "Arashi-chan." The child turned to his mother who was leaning out of the door.

Arashi finally moved in reaction to his mother's voice. He quickly ran for the refuge of his home. Fifteen meters, ten meters, five meters remained before he could reach his mother. After three more steps, he found himself lifted into the air. "I wonder."

"LET GO OF HIM!" Arashi watched as his mother charged for him before being quickly brought to the ground.

The man firmly stomped on her abdomen, causing her to gasp out. "STOP HURTING OKAA-SAN!" Arashi tilted his head and bit firmly onto the man's hand.

He looked at this as if it were only an insect bite. "You seem to be the perfect subject for my little _experiment_."

He lifted his foot off of the woman and walked away with Arashi still biting his hand. "GIVE ME BACK MY BABY!"

The man slapped her to the ground with the back of his free hand. "Don't worry woman. Your gaki will be returning here. I can't promise that it will be soon though." The man laughed as he continued to walk away. He sidestepped out of the way of some shuriken that landed at his feet. "What is it now?"

He turned his head to see a man with shifting blue eyes charging straight for him. "OTOU-SAN!"

"LET GO OF MY SON!" The stranger tossed Arashi to the ground and stood between father and son. The father tried to attack, but each punch and kick was easily evaded. The stranger looked as if he was dancing around the offense.

Arashi could only watch as the fight continued. Rarely did the stranger ever use his hands to aid in avoiding an attack. "You can beat this guy Otou-san."

Once the father had the village at his back and was sure that Arashi wouldn't be in the path of attack, he started running though hand-seals. "FIRE STYLE: MULTI-CANNON BLAST JUTSU!"

Five large and dense fireballs were shot out of the man's mouth. The stranger stood there and went through his own hand-seals. "Water Style: Raining Wall." Water from the very humid air condensed and began to cycle around the stranger. "So he wants to play with fire."

Knowing that a water jutsu was coming, the father was already preparing his next jutsu. As the water fell to the ground, he slammed his hands onto the ground. "EARTH STYLE: TREACHEROUS TERRAIN!"

A trail of large spiking earth made its way to the other man, who was in the middle of his own hand seals. He also slammed his hands onto the ground. "Summoning Jutsu." A large cloud of smoke filled the area. The rocks were destroyed by what looked like a long slender tail.

When the smoke cleared, a salamander as tall as Arashi's house and seven times as long appeared. Arashi's father looked up at this while gritting his teeth. "This isn't good. That summoning looks pretty strong."

"Fighting you was fun, but I am going to end this." The salamander took in a deep breath before spewing out a jet of blue flames. With no time to perform a jutsu, the father had to dodge. The flames luckily didn't reach any of the houses.

Just as the father regained his footing, the stranger was already behind him. A well placed knee in the chin lifted him from the ground. A kick in the stomach sent him flying before landing and rolling on the ground. The salamander lifted one of its feet before slamming it on the man's ribs with enough force to crack the earth bellow him. Drops of blood flew out of his mouth and landed on the beast's foot. Despite his pain, the father tried to remove the large foot, to no success. He then ran though some hand-seals. "Fire Style: Multi-Cannon Blast."

The five fireballs exploded on contact with the salamander's skin. The beast hissed at him as if it were merely annoyed. "That won't work. Now it is time for your last breaths." The father tried to start up some hand-seals, but he was stopped by a kunai into his heart that was quickly pulled out. "Too easy."

At only seven years old, Arashi had to watch as his father was killed. It only got worse as the salamander took some steps back and used its mouth to pick up the man by his head. The beast flicked his body in the air multiple times to bring him further into its mouth. As soon as his feet disappeared, the beast disappeared the same way it appeared. Tears flowed freely down Arashi's face as his expression became one of disbelief. The victor walked straight for him. Arashi crawled backwards, but barely put up any distance. "No, it can't be. Otou-san can't loose. He is the strongest in the world. He can't loose."

"You are mine gaki." The man gave Arashi a jab in the solar plexus that knocked him out. He ran away with the sound of a woman wailing behind him. He only chuckled at the sound. "What a slow reaction."

After an indiscernible amount of time spent unconscious, Arashi slowly opened his eyes. Even though they opened, he saw only darkness. He tried to move, but he was tied to a tall and thin rock. He tried to push against the rock, but he only succeeded in chafing his skin with the ropes. He spoke franticly. "W-where am I?"

The sound of that man's dark laughter made his blood run cold. "It looks like the subject of my experiment is awake." After the sound of a snap, florescent green light provided Arashi with a close up view of his captor. "I wonder if you'll even survive to the conclusion."

Arashi failed in his attempt to create distance thanks to the rock behind him. "W-what do you want?"

"It's really simple. Not too long ago, I had one of the most interesting fights in my life against three Konoha shinobi. For a long time, I have heard that their strength comes from fighting for their comrades. I thought this was foolish for a long time, but those three made me curious. This is where you come in."

Arashi calmed down thanks to his confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'll give you a choice right now. Choice one, you can return to your village. Choice two, you come with me and take part in my experiment. Be warned, each choice has consequences."

"What are consequences?"

"If you chose to return to your village, I will kill everyone there; including your mother." Arashi's eyes widened. The recent memories that he lost because of shock returned to him. He pushed against the rock in an attempt to get at the man who murdered his father. "It looks like the gaki has some fight left in him. You just may be the perfect subject."

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIMENT! LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE!"

"That is the thing gaki. If you want your family to live, you have to voluntarily become the subject of my experiment. It's the only way you can possibly save them."

Arashi stopped struggling and looked down with tears collecting under his eyelids. A few seconds passed before he spoke with defeat in his voice. "I'll do it."

The man released a hum of satisfaction. "Good. Now for a few ground rules. If you break them too many times, this deal will end and your family will die. First off, you will address me how I tell you and no other way. Second, don't let your progress become unsatisfactory. Third, don't fail to carry out anything I demand out of you. The last one is the most important. Break this rule once and I _will_ kill your family. Don't die."

Arashi turned cold from those two words. "Something tells me that the forth will be the hardest rule to follow."

"Now for my first demand. What is your name gaki?"

The seven-year-old collected himself and glared at the man. "Arashi Ayama."

The man let out another grunt of satisfaction. "My name is Hanzō, but you will call me Hanzō-shishō. Never forget this."

Arashi gritted his teeth for a second. "Hai Hanzō-shishō."

At the end of his words, the rope holding him to the rock was cut away from him. "Follow me gaki." Arashi clenched his fists at the man purposely calling him that. As he followed the man, Arashi found himself walking out of a cave's entrance. "I am going to leave a nice little trail that even you should be able to follow. My home is a five days walk from here without rest. I expect you to be there in three days or else. These should help you get started." The man tossed a ration bar into Arashi's hands and dropped a small canteen. In the next moment, Hanzō was gone. The only evidence of him being there was a long straight trail of upturned earth.

With nothing else to go on, Arashi began running along this path with the supplies Hanzō left him in his hands. Thanks to what his father taught him about being conservative, he knew that he shouldn't start out at full speed. He ate the entire ration bar slowly and drank the water just as slowly. Arashi jogged all through the night. At what he guess was a few hours before dawn, he found another ration bar and water canteen. Arashi picked it up and allowed himself to slow down a bit. "If this is supposed to be breakfast, he's underestimating me."

With half a day to spare, Arashi was able to reach his destination. Doing so left him very exhausted however. He was still annoyed at how easy Hanzō made it for him. Looking up, he could see many tall and thin metallic buildings reaching into the sky. The sky itself was completely blotted out by dark rain clouds. He stumbled in and made his way to the street. Two men appeared in front of him and blocked his path. "Halt, provide the documents stating that you have a right to visit Ame."

These words effectively made Arashi angry. He prepared himself for yelling at them. "Stop it. This boy has my permission for entry." Arashi's voice was stopped cold and the men turn around and bowed.

"Our apologies Hanzō-sama. We where not aware."

Hanzō ignored them and began to walk away. "Follow me gaki." His tone made it clear that it wasn't a request. Arashi did as he was told. As he followed his father's killer, Arashi was overwhelmed by how gloomy the village was. The metallic buildings and the grey sky cast a blanket of despair over everything he looked at. Even if a beam of sunlight made it through; the fact that its existence is fleeting made it sadder.

After a few minutes of walking, both arrived at a building that was a bit taller and wider than all the other buildings. It was still just as gloomy as the others. "If Hanzō doesn't kill me, the lack of color will."

Arashi clenched his fists in frustration as he walked into the building behind Hanzō. It would be so easy to attack the man, but Arashi was smarter than that. No matter how skilled it was, Arashi knew that he would never get an attack in on the man. He settled for looking around the building. Compared to the grey world outside, the inside was far more inviting, though not as much as his own home. Arashi noticed a maid working on keeping the rooms clean.

He followed Hanzō to a stairwell and up it. As they did this, Arashi noticed another maid pass by them. Unlike the previous one, this maid was about as old as he was. Arashi slowed down so he could get a better look. "Gaki."

Arashi caught up and glared at Hanzō's back as his fist trembled in a combination of anger and fear. They continued up two more flights of stairs and entered that floor. Arashi followed him until he opened a door and walked away without a word. As soon as Arashi closed the door, he dropped to the floor and began exercising with the tears he was holding back finally flowing out of his eyes. "I can't sit here and do nothing. I have to get stronger so I can make Hanzō pay."

Much time passed as the young Arashi exhausted every muscle he could think of and then some. He was in the middle of struggling with a sit-up when the door opened. Arashi sat up with an easier method and glared at the doorway in preparation for Hanzō's appearance. He continued glaring for two seconds as it took him that long to realize that it wasn't Hanzō at the door. "Gomen, I didn't know that you didn't want to be disturbed."

Arashi reached out his hand. "Wait." He couldn't believe his eyes. It was the very same girl that he was looking at in the stairwell. When she turned to face him, he was able to get a better look. She had dark brown hair that went just below her shoulders. The hair became reddish brown near the end. Her clothes were loosely fitting grayish-blue blouse and matching pants. The sleeves were rolled up, showing that she was recently cleaning something that involved the using or the presence of water. Her eyes were a light shade of brown. "I-I didn't mean to glare at you. I thought that you were _him_." The distaste in his voice was obvious to anyone but a deaf man. "My name is Arashi Ayama. What is yours?"

"My name is Kyoko. Hanzō-sama told me that I am going to be your caretaker and have to give you anything you want. It's my only duty now."

Arashi blinked stupidly a few times. "Well, I could use a lot of water right now Kyoko-chan."

"Hai Arashi-sama." Kyoko bowed before closing the door. "He is nicer than I thought he would be."

Arashi returned to his glaring. "What is that jerk doing? Am I that important to his experiment?" His expression changed to a smile. "Kyoko-chan does seem nice though."

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**It took me forever to write this chapter. I guess I have more trouble when dealing with gloomier aspects of my story. I hope that people enjoyed seeing a different Arashi for this chapter. Despite the next chapter's title, Arashi won't meet Pein in it. It is just more of Arashi's past.**

**Next Chapter: Love.**

**Random Question: Does anyone know where I got the names Haru and Kyoko. (Hint, I got them both from the same anime.) If you do figure it out, don't complain about the personalities not matching. They aren't supposed to be the same.**


	38. Love: Chapter 38

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." As he walked to Ame, Arashi began recalling his past. It started with him making a pillow with his mother. After that, he met up with Hanzō. Hanzō killed tried to take Arashi and killed his father in the process. Arashi was forced to follow Hanzō's trail all the way to Ame. Hanzō found him at the gates and led him to his personal room. Arashi exercised until he was visited by a girl named Kyoko.")

* * *

"**Love"**

**Just to let you know, this and the next chapter was intended to be one chapter but it wound up being 7000 words. With that kind of length, I might as well save myself the hassle of trying to catch up to the three days I lost trying to complete the chapter in a week, and just separate it into two chapters. Now I saved four days.**

Arashi gratefully drank the water that Kyoko brought him. "Arigato Kyoko-chan." She blushed at bit at Arashi's kind words and tone. "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded. "Hai; what is it?"

"Why are you working here?"

She looked down for a few seconds as she though about whether she should answer or not. She made her decision with a deep breath. "I-I was stolen from my parents by some scary men when I was four. They locked me up with other kids and brought us to many dark places. They were planning to sell us as slaves. During those months, I was always hungry and scared. Hanzō-sama was the one who finally bought me. Since then, my life has been a bit better. All I have to do is what he tells me to for all my needs. I-I'm still worried about the others though."

Arashi took notice of the tears falling off her face. He looked at her with a determined expression. "Don't worry Kyoko-chan. When I'm strong enough, I am going to get you out of here and help you find your family."

She used her finger to wipe her tears before looking up at him. "B-but, I don't even know where they are. All I remember is that they owned an inn. Also, what about Hanzō-sama."

"If I have to, I'll kick his butt."

The door suddenly opened to the surprise of both children. The person behind the door was revealed to be Hanzō. Kyoko shrank away from him as Arashi leaned forward with a rage-filled expression. "You are fifty years too young to be spouting such nonsense." Arashi's response was to scowl harder. "My experiment will begin tomorrow. Make sure you are well rested or you will die. I am sure you remember what happens then." This made him clench his fist and teeth. Hanzō closed the door and left.

Thanks to his frustration, Arashi began exercising once again. Kyoko firmly placed her hands on him. He looked up to see tears once again in her eyes. "Please, stop. When Hanzō-sama says he will do something, he will do it. Y-you're the first person my age I've seen in a long time. I don't want you to die."

When her eyes took on the puppy dog appearance, Arashi found that he was unable to refuse or speak. He simply nodded and relaxed. Kyoko's crying slowed and she smiled at him. "Arigato Arashi-sama."

Arashi regained his speech. "Ano, can you please stop calling me Arashi-_sama_? It feels weird."

Kyoko blinked a few times before smiling, blushing, and looking down a bit. "Hai Arashi-k-kun." She looked up at his smile before standing up. "I-I should get back to my room. See you later Arashi-kun."

When she disappeared from his sight, Arashi's smiled grew wider as thought about how he made a friend in such a horrible place. He stood up and climbed into his bed in preparation for the following days of hell.

"Wake up gaki." Arashi found himself waking to the sound of Hanzō's voice. "Good, you are a light sleeper. That makes things easier."

Arashi quickly became alert and glared at the man. "What are you going to _do_ to me?" He spoke with anger rather than fear.

"It's simple. The first thing I need is for you to become strong. Why do you think I want you to address me as Hanzō-shishō?"

Arashi glared at him. "He's just playing with me. There is no way he sees me as a serious threat. That can't be it."

Hanzō grunted at him. "Don't think about it too much gaki. Let me worry about those little details. You just have to run the maze like a good little lab rat." Arashi became angrier at being downsized. "Let us get started on your first day of training."

By the end of the day, Arashi was laid out on his bed with his clothes on the floor. Many small cuts could be seen on his small body from him having to dodge kunai for the whole day. He was very exhausted and irked. Hanzō didn't even bother training him personally but instead used a water clone. Arashi faced the door when he heard it open. He smiled, knowing that it would be Kyoko.

When she fully opened the door, the first thing Kyoko noticed was that Arashi was only wearing his underwear. The embarrassment was quickly squashed by worry when she noticed all the cuts on his body. She ran for him. "Arashi-kun." When she reached his bed side, she reached out and touched his arm. "Are you okay?"

"There just scratches." He winced when her fingers touched one of the scratches.

She pulled her fingers back and winced with him. "Gomen, I-I didn't, I-I."

"Don't worry Kyoko-chan. It isn't your fault. It is my _shish__ō__'s_ fault." Arashi finally noticed his state of undress and swung the part of the blanket he wasn't laying on over himself. His body heat began to quickly build up under the fairly thin sheets.

She laughed at these actions and looked down at his clothes. "Do you want me to take care of those?"

He looked and noticed her pointing at his clothes. "Hai, if you want too." She smiled as she bent down and picked the clothes up. She turned away from him and headed for the door. Arashi smiled as he removed the sheets that were overheating him and fell asleep.

For months, the training Arashi received from Hanzō was very generic. Beatings, evasion, exercising, and the occasional chakra control. Each day turned out to be more hellish than the last. On this day, it was the coldest day of the winter. Arashi followed Hanzō to the top of the tower. When this door was opened, frigid air from both the weather and the altitude rushed in. Hanzō looked down at Arashi. "Take off your clothes."

"NANI, IT'S FREEZING OUT THERE!" The continued glaring from Hanzō proved that this was no joke. Arashi clenched his teeth both in preparation for the biting cold and because of his anger. Despite his mental protests, Arashi walked outside and into the bitter cold. As soon as he did, the door was closed behind him. "I'll bet he locked the door." Arashi went and confirmed his suspicion to be true. With nothing else to do, Arashi sat down, crossed his legs, and curled up into a little ball.

Arashi spent a full hour outside like this before Hanzō finally opened the door. "If you are alive, follow me."

Arashi looked up and glared at the man. He used his hands to try and stand up. His muscles nearly gave out as he stumbled to regain his balance. He _walked_ through the doorway and closed the door behind him. He quickly took notice of his clothes on his right. Arashi wasted no time in putting the considerably warmer clothes on. He ran down the stairs and followed Hanzō into the floor only two flights down, almost falling down one of the flights. Arashi saw Hanzō open another door and walked into it. Just like before, the door was shut and locked. It didn't take long for Arashi to notice that the room was uncomfortably hot and humid. Arashi glared at the wall. "_Now_ I see what he is up to."

Even though his body was still chilly, Arashi removed all his clothes. It only took a few minutes for his body to start screaming for a way to cool down. The humidity in the room made this impossible as the sweat on his skin couldn't evaporate quickly enough.

After fifteen more minutes, Arashi was on his hands and knees panting heavily. "If the heat doesn't kill me, my thirst will." Arashi decided to pull on a simple jutsu that his father taught him when he was young. "Water Basin Jutsu." As he was taught, Arashi let his chakra flow out of his hands and into the air. This condensed the water in the air and collected it into his hands. He drank this water happily. He then noticed how much cooler his hands were. "If that jutsu cooled my hands, the _maybe._"

When the hour ended, Hanzō opened the door. Arashi rushed out and sighed as the air cooled him far more than his chakra could. He grabbed a towel that was nearby and used it to cover up his modesty. This cycle of the freezing weather and the sweltering sauna continued for seven more hours. By this time, Arashi exhausted all his chakra and was forced to take the conditions head on.

Arashi curled up in his bed to warm up after being out in the cold once again. His door opened and Kyoko entered with the clothes from before in her hands. "Ano, here are your clothes Ara-Arashi-kun." Arashi peered over his blankets and looked at the clothes. He examined them a bit before laughing. "I-is something wrong."

"No, but _I_ could have done a better job than this Kyoko-chan." He laughed a little more before being interrupted by small whimper. He opened his eyes and noticed that Kyoko was crying and rubbing her eyes with one hand. He reached out in a worried fashion. "Kyoko-chan, are you okay."

"BAKA!" She turned around and ran out the door.

Arashi looked at this with confusion clearly plastered on his face. "What did I say?" He coughed into his hand before crawling back under the sheets.

I the early morning of the next day, Kyoko headed for Arashi's room after finally figuring out how she was going to give him a piece of her mind. She swung the door open and walked/stomped over to his bedside. "Wake up you _jerk_." She became irritated at his lack of reaction and rolled him over to face her. She gasped at what she saw.

His face was heavily flushed and covered in sweat. Not even during her time of captivity, has she seen someone with such labored breathing. She leaned forward when his eyes opened a bit and his focused on her. "Okaa…san."

Kyoko gasped into her hands. "He's delirious." Not knowing what to do, she ran out of the room in search of someone who could help.

When she turned a corner, she fell backwards from crashing into someone. She looked up to see Hanzō glaring straight at her. Her eyes became fearful at the possible consequences. "Be gracious that I haven't killed you yet. It would be wise to have a good reason for crashing into me."

Beads of tears showed on her eyes as she sniffled. "A-Arashi-kun h-h-he's really sick."

Hanzō continued glaring for a few more moments before speaking. "The medical room is in the fifth floor. Get out of my sight." Kyoko stood up and ran for the stairs.

As luck would have it, a female medic happened to be present in the room. Kyoko managed to convince her to check up on Arashi. The woman followed Kyoko with medical supplies in hand. When she reached the room, she began examining him. "Arashi-san seems to have a really bad fever right now. He is going to need plenty of rest and fluids. You should give him this medicine every morning and this every evening." She handed Kyoko two different bottles. "It is best to give them after he has eaten. Make sure he only eats light foods. Anything heavy will only upset his stomach. He should be better in three or four days." The nurse took the rest of her supplies and left.

Kyoko spent the next two days in Arashi's room. In the evening of the second day, Arashi regained enough energy to do more than eat what Kyoko fed to him. "Kyoko-chan, why did you start crying back then?"

She looked and glared at the floor. "Because you said I didn't do a good job fixing your clothes." If it weren't for his illness, she would have became angry with him and not answer.

Arashi blinked stupidly a few times. "Oh." After this unintelligent response, Arashi also looked down. "Gomen Kyoko-chan. I used to do a lot of sewing with my mother. I just have a lot more practice than you. I wasn't trying to be a jerk."

"_Okay,_ but it was still mean."

Arashi laughed nervously before an idea popped into his head. "Hey, how about on one day when Hanzō-_shish__ō_ doesn't nearly kill me, you and I can sew something together."

She looked up and smiled a small smile. "Hai, that sounds nice Arashi-kun."

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. After five years, Hanzō started spending a lot more time outside of the tower and less time training Arashi. Hanzō said that it was because of a bunch of riots he had to take care of. Because of this, he finally was able to spend his time training how he wanted while under the supervision of someone far nicer; Kyoko. He also managed to save up enough energy to finally start relaxing sewing sessions with her.

As for Kyoko, she was only a few months older than Arashi, but she was still thirteen at the time while Arashi was twelve. It was only a few months after her twelfth birthday when she reached _that_ age. She looked forward to both Arashi's training sessions and the sewing sessions with excitement and anxiousness. Arashi managed to steal her breath away when he finally showed her a fully developed Keikigan, though he was oblivious to this fact. Along with these unfamiliar feelings, she also noticed a number of other things going on with her. She finally asked one of the older maids about this one evening a few days after her thirteenth birthday. The answers she received were almost more than her young mind could handle.

The present day just happened to be the morning after Kyoko's _enlightenment_. She took a deep breath as she opened the door. As she expected, the mere sound of the doorknob turning woke the pre-teen up. Also as expected, Arashi quickly slipped the covers off and got out of bed. "Good Morning Kyoko-chan." He greeted her in nothing but underwear.

Although this was the norm for over three years, Kyoko's new level of knowledge came to the surface in the form of a bright blush. She covered her eyes and faced the door. "_Arashi-kun_ put some clothes on."

Arashi blinked in confusion. "Is something wrong Kyoko-chan. What did I do this time? Whatever I did, gomen. I swear that this happens once a month, every month."

"You didn't do anything. Just please put some clothes on."

"Seriously Kyoko-chan, you are acting very strangely." He opened a drawer and put on the outfit he planed to wear for the day. "I'm dressed now, okay." Kyoko removed her hands from her eyes and turned back a round. "What is wrong with you today?"

"I-it's nothing. Just make sure that you are dressed every morning."

Arashi gave her a narrow gaze. "You keep getting weirder and weirder. You are reminding me of Haru-nee." He looked up with a thoughtful expression. "Now that I think about it, Haru-nee started acting strange in the same way you are at the same age as you did." He shrugged. "Maybe it's a girl thing."

Kyoko laughed nervously. "You hit the nail on the head Arashi-kun."

They turned around when the door suddenly opened. Standing there was the figure both children have grown to dislike. "Follow me Gaki." Arashi glared at him but did as he was told.

Kyoko sighed sadly. "I guess we won't be spending _tonight_ together." She blushed heavily at the other way that sentence could be taken.

Once again, the over a year passed by. When Arashi hit his own _growth_, Hanzō provided an informational book after saying that he will not have an ignorant student. Hanzō also intensified physical training thanks to him knowing that testosterone was beginning to flow through the boy's body. Arashi also noticed himself becoming stronger at a faster rate. To both teen's appreciation, Arashi's body became quite defined.

Unfortunately, Arashi didn't take his new knowledge as well as Kyoko did. He found himself unable to speak to her with more than three words at a time. This served as a great source of annoyance and frustration for both teens.

On one cleaning night where Hanzō was busy elsewhere and both were fourteen years old, Kyoko had enough. She looked over to where she knew Arashi was; in his bed with the sheets covering every part of him. "I am ending this right now." She put down her cleaning supplies and walked over to the bed.

With one powerful yank, she removed those sheets and made sure that he couldn't reach for them. Arashi looked up at her nervously. "Hi there."

"Oh, two words. Do you want to try for three?"

Arashi laughed nervously. "How are you?"

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance but she also felt a bit relieved. "At least he hasn't lost his sarcasm." She looked down at him with a serious expression. "If you want to know how I am doing, then I'll tell you. We used to spend as much of our time together as possible. You were the only thing I could look forward to every day. Now, I have started dreading having to be in the same room as you. I want to talk to you so badly, but I can hardly get four words out of you. Please Arashi-kun; I want my best friend back."

Arashi looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. "I-I-I." He waited a few seconds before taking a deep breath and looking down at his hands. The way Kyoko was looking down at him was only making him more nervous. "Well, m-maybe if Hanzō doesn't show tomorrow, we could sew something together like before." Arashi said this all with a blush.

Kyoko smiled and nodded. "I'd like that." With those words, she resumed her cleaning.

Although the next day didn't work out, the one after did. Arashi watched as Kyoko was about to make a mistake, causing his usual behavior to come out. He placed his hands on hers and guided her into the correct action. Simultaneously, both realized the positions of their hands and looked at each other. Without even knowing what their bodies where doing, they shared their first kiss.

If someone counted; three, two, one, now; they would have perfectly picked the time of their sudden separation. Kyoko bowed low. "Pardon me." She stood straight and ran out of the room with her hands locked in front of her.

Arashi simply looked at the door with is jaw dropped for a minute with a blush on his face. "We kissed, just like that." He finally stood up and climbed into bed. Neither could remove the smiles on their faces.

In the following morning, Arashi woke up with the smile still on his face. He quickly became serious. "We have to talk about this. If we don't, we'll just end up avoiding each other like before. Kyoko-chan was right." Arashi slipped out of bed and put on his clothes. He left his room and headed for where he knew Kyoko's room was. He reached the door without incident and chuckled to himself. "This is a bit weird. Usually Kyoko-chan wakes _me_ up."

He thought about barging in, but remembered that it would be better to knock first. Inside the room, Kyoko stopped staring at the ceiling blankly and roused herself. "Don't tell me that Arashi-kun already wants to talk. Just three days ago, he could hardly look at me. Why did he decide now to grow a backbone?"

"Kyoko-chan, I'm coming in in four minutes."

Kyoko gasped and slipped out of bed. "I have to get dressed quick." The idea of locking the door didn't cross her mind. She found her usual maids outfit and put it on, wishing she had something more flattering. "What should I say?" She opened the door and looked at Arashi with a blush. "I-I-I-I." She looked down at the floor. "I have something I need to do."

She walked past him while avoiding his gaze. Arashi gently grabbed her arm and stooped her. "Why are you being a hypocrite? Weren't you telling me not to avoid you just three nights ago? Now here you are doing the exact same thing."

"B-but, what if we stop being f-friends."

"We won't stop being friends. We are friends because we like to be together." His voice turned soft and kind. "If we become more, then doesn't that mean we will want to be together more?"

"I…. I don't know."

"Didn't you enjoy the kiss?" He turned her around, only increasing her shock in the process. Frustrated by her silence, Arashi lifted her head and placed his lips upon hers. The series of words, questions, and now this; left her too surprised to react. This didn't last long as the sensation pulled her into what felt like another world unlike anything she felt in her life. Arashi felt the same way, which is why he was reluctant to separate from Kyoko. He made her look him in the eyes and spoke gently. "Tell me, did you enjoy that?" He accented each of those four words.

Kyoko's body stopped when she looked into his activated eyes. "That's not fair Arashi-kun. You know full well that I can't lie to those eyes." She leaned forward and placed her forehead on his shoulder. "Hai, I did."

Arashi smiled and lifted her off of him. "Go ahead and do whatever you have to. I'll be training." She blushed just before he left. As he walked away, a strong blush rose to Arashi's cheeks. "I can't believe I did all of that." The blush dropped to pink cheeks. "Kyoko-chan is truly kawaii when she's blushing. Maybe I should try and get her to do that more often."

* * *

**Okay, I promise that after the next two chapters, these Arashi focus chapters will end. I just wanted to my readers to have a good view of the past of the one who is training the true main characters. I hope Arashi's past isn't disappointing.**

**Next chapter: Despair.**

**PS: PLEASE READ THE BELOW.**

**Time for a note on the environment. As most of you should know, the Earth is running out of resources. Even the ground water you all drink is running out and is being poisoned because the water's pressure is decreasing and therefore pulling in surrounding poisons to fill the gap. You have all heard of the more common methods, but here is one of mine.**

**When you shower, think carefully on the steps in which you do it. When I reach the point where I am washing my body, I turn the water off so it doesn't wash the soap away. If done with every shower, the impact can be great. Even if only 100 of you actually listen, that will still translate into around half to a whole gallon each person for each shower.**


	39. Despair: Chapter 39

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." After meeting Kyoko, Arashi learned of her past and quickly became friends with her. As he had to survive Hanzō's training, he received both comfort and care from her. Their relationship developed as did their bodies. Arashi was the first to shy away until Kyoko gave him a good talk. After their kiss, Kyoko didn't have as much time to shy away from Arashi before he pulled her into a second kiss.)

* * *

"**Despair"**

After deciding that he loved seeing Kyoko blushing, Arashi came up with countless ways to embarrass Kyoko to that point, whether it was just the two of them or with spectators. Whenever she became used to one trick, he usually came up with a new one. Whenever all tricks stopped working, he stopped entirely for a few weeks before starting up again. Along the way, Arashi learned to read all of her moods with relative ease. Once they both reached the age of nineteen, only one method remained.

Alone in Arashi's room, the long time couple displayed their love the same way they have been doing since the first month of their relationship. The way Arashi's gentle hands felt in her hair and on her skin excited her both physically and mentally. She finally decided that she had enough. "Arashi-kun." She gripped his clothing. "I don't want to be stuck at this level all my life. I need to know what it feels like to be _that_ close to you."

"I don't know if the best time is now. Ame is in the middle of a civil war. What if you get…?"

She pushed him down and kissed him fiercely. "Stop it! You are just making excuses. Even after all those embarrassing things you say; we still haven't gone further than what we are doing now."

All words of resistance in Arashi stopped when he saw the tears in her eyes. He smiled before pulling her lips into his. He rolled her over so that he was on top and separated the kiss. "You're right. We have been together for more than long enough. If any problem arises, we'll take it head on."

In the next morning, Arashi woke up to the door opening. "Looks like you are finally using that girl for what she's worth Gaki."

Arashi sat up and glared at the man. "Why did he have to show up this morning?" He looked down and noticed that Kyoko was also awake. Her only movement was an effort to make sure the sheets covered her completely. He returned to glaring at the intruder. "What are you doing here Hanzō? Don't you have some kind of battle to prepare for?"

The man laughed at him darkly. "No. I recently finished signing a temporary truce with the enemy. I did it all for you."

Arashi scoffed. "Well don't _I fell special_? Aren't you going to tell me to get ready?" Hanzō simply left the room with out a word. Arashi slid out of bed and dressed himself in his training clothes without even caring that Kyoko was looking at him. He looked back at her with a smile before leaving the room.

He walked the well known path to the training room. He opened the door and stared Hanzō down. "Now that you are here, attack me with the intent to kill."

Arashi took up a battle stance. "You could have just said attack me." He charged forward with a kunai drawn.

In half an hour, Arashi's low jonin level skills proved too little for the man who defeated the Sannin by himself. Hanzō looked down at Arashi who was on one knee panting. "You disappointed me today Gaki. Be glad I do not feel like traveling to your village. We shall fight again in five days. Do not disappoint me again." Arashi glared at the man as he left the room. With nothing else to do, Arashi began training with his remaining energy.

This continued for only fifteen minutes when the door opened again. Neither of the two people Arashi expected was revealed. Behind that door was one of the older maids. She wore a frantic expression that worried him without even know what was going on. "Arashi-sama, its Kyoko! Hanzō-sama attacked her without warning!"

Arashi's eyes widened as fear filled them. "WHERE IS SHE?!"

She flinched back from Arashi's outburst. "S-she's being treated."

"Out of my way!" She did as he said just in time to avoid being pushed out of the way. Arashi raced through the building in search for the medical room. His fairly frequent visits there burned the location into his head. He reached the room very quickly despite his exhaustion. When he got a looked at Kyoko's form, he froze in shock. There was only one injury on her body. He could find no words to describe how he felt at her current lack of four-fifths of her left arm. Both despair and rage built up from within him. "What happened?"

His voice left no room for argument. A woman in her late twenties stepped forward. "I saw it Arashi-sama." His nod signaled her to continue. "It happened so suddenly. Hanzō-sama cut off her arm without reason or warning. He summoned a salamander that consumed her arm before disappearing." She broke out into tears and fell to her knees. "G-gomen … I couldn't d…do anything."

Arashi bent down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. I doubt I could stop him. You were just unlucky enough to see it." Arashi took a look at the medic. "How is she?"

The woman spoke without missing a beat. "The biggest threat is Kyoko-san's blood loss. We have the proper supplies to perform the necessary transfusion. She should make a full recovery in a few weeks."

Arashi released a very audible sigh of relief. He then decided to analyze the situation. "Hanzō wouldn't do anything without reason." He clenched his fist in frustration. "He did this because I disappointed him. This is his way of showing that he is not playing with me. If I mess up again, who knows what he would do. I have to get stronger in five days. No, _stronger_ is impossible." He walked over to the bedside and kissed the woman's forehead. "Stay strong." He looked at the medic. "I'll be in the training room. Tell me when she wakes."

The woman bowed. "Hai Arashi-sama."

When he left the room, he let the tears he was holding back fall from his eyes. "Becoming stronger in five days is impossible. My only hope is to become more skilled."

Arashi spent four days thinking about his body and his skills and on how he could best use them. He went as far as to test out different ways to do everything. Arashi's creativity was pushed to its limit during these days. On the fifth day, Arashi felt despair as he has yet to hear anything about Kyoko's condition. It was also the day that Hanzō would once again test his abilities. Arashi looked at the door and glared at the person behind it. Hanzō also gave Arashi a serious look. "It is time to finish my experiment. I need to put all my focus on the war by the end of the month. He is now in the way."

The pair stood on opposite sides of the room and stared each other down. Arashi clenched his fists in both anticipation and anger. "I can't fight him the same way I did five days ago." Arashi stood still even after Hanzō gave the signal to begin. His only action was to put his hands together in a way where any hand-seal would be easy.

Hanzō narrowed his eyes at this. "I could end the experiment right now or later. No matter which I chose; the result will be the same." He smirked under is large mask. "I could still have a last bit of fun with him." Hanzō started with a simple kunai. Arashi leaned out of the way, placing all his weight on his left leg with his body leaning left. "Baka."

Hanzō dashed to Arashi's left side, knowing that he would be too slow to go any other direction. Arashi smirked as he put some chakra into his foot and pulled himself forward. He pulled out a kunai and tossed it at Hanzō's head. Arashi watched in satisfaction as hair fell from the man's scalp. "Take that Hanzō-_shish__ō_. Pushing isn't the only way to run." Arashi leapt into the air as he performed hand-seals. "Lightning Style: Voltage Grip."

Electricity shot out of Arashi's fingertips and created a cage around Hanzō. He also went through some hand-seals. "Water Style: Raining Wall." Arashi cut off his attack knowing that the water would catch his attack and then be directed away from Hanzō. Arashi landed near the water before moving away. Arashi turned his back to Hanzō. "Baka."

Hanzō canceled his jutsu and made his attack. The target turned into water as he sliced through it with a kunai. "Lightning Style: Voltage Grip."

"What is he thinking?" Hanzō performed the same jutsu as before to deflect Arashi's electrical attack. Hanzō's eyes widened when he started to feel electricity coursing through his body. Looking down with considerable effort, he noticed that the water he summoned was in contact with him. He noticed that the water was having trouble moving away from him.

Hanzō had no more time to think as Arashi canceled his jutsu and pressed his advantage. "TIME FOR YOU TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO OTOU-SAN AND KYOKO-CHAN!"

Arashi came down on Hanzō with a short sword. With the aid of his chakra, Hanzō was able to bring his own short sword up to block the strike. Because the electric charge was already gone, Arashi pressed his advantage and attacked Hanzō like a raging storm. The connection of swords resembled booming thunder. Their speed sounded like the winds. The splashing of the water below them replicated the rain. Hanzō smirked internally. "This boy is living up to his name."

In as single instant, Hanzō regained all of his strength. Arashi could not react in time to defend himself from a strong kick in the abdomen that sent him flying backwards. Arashi coughed a bit, causing flecks of red to mix with the water. He growled in frustration. "Damn-it, even with my best plan, I couldn't defeat him. Using a jutsu to change the area around me so that the ground around me was at a higher elevation was the best thing I had. I'm still not strong enough."

Hanzō got out of the water area and looked at it. The water was collected together as if were in a wide bowl. "So that is what he did. Very clever…Arashi. The way he was able to move at that speed was also impressive. Even if I focused chakra at my foot, that would have taken a bit of effort."

Suddenly, the door opened. "ARASHI-SAMA, SHE'S AWAKE!" Time slowed down for Arashi as he remembered that the last woman to interrupt one of these training sessions nearly died. Using every muscle in his legs, Arashi put all his efforts into placing himself between her and Hanzō. Meanwhile, Hanzō threw a kunai with an added explosive tag.

Arashi was already going through hand-seals when he reached the spot. "WATER STYLE: RAINING WALL!" He put all the defensive power he could between himself and the kunai.

The explosion was buffered by the water, but it temporarily blinded Arashi. This was enough time for Hanzō to close the distance and send Arashi flying with a punch. He ignored the woman and walked over to Arashi, speaking with a highly disappointed tone. "You don't seem to understand how battle works yet Gaki. It goes without saying that it is much harder to defend someone else than to attack for yourself." Hanzō's eyes widened at his own words. "That's it. That is the reason behind the quality of many Konoha shinobi. It is neither pools of talent nor the clans. They are taught to defend others over anything else. Because of this, they have no choice but to be of higher quality. If it where anything else, they would always die along with who they are protecting. The truth behind Konoha's strength is the necessity of that strength."

Hanzō reached into a pocked and pulled out a little scroll. He tossed the parchment to Arashi, who caught it in his confusion and annoyance. "What is this?"

"It is the map to your village." Arashi's eyes widened in utter shock. "Leave my village now." His voice left no room for argument.

At first, happiness rose up from Arashi; but he remembered something else. "What about Kyoko-chan."

"Your wench will stay here."

Arashi became angry once again. "I'M NOT LEAVING WITHOUT HER!"

"Let's put it this way. If you are not out of my village in the next five minutes, I will kill both of you." Arashi's eyes widened at the ultimatum Hanzō gave him. He knew full well that he couldn't escape the village in five minutes with Kyoko with him. Even if he could, carrying her at that speed with her kind of injury could be deadly. Hanzō saw these thoughts clearly on his face. "If you want that girl back, return here and fight me. If I die, you are free to leave this village with her. If you die, she will as well. When you return is up to you. Let your hatred and frustration build up. Turn them into the power you need to kill me."

Arashi clenched his fist as he realized that Hanzō's proposition was his only option. He stood up and ran out of the room. As he ran, he pulled out a slip of paper and began writing on it

'Kyoko-chan, I am sorry I can't talk to you. I don't know how many years will pass until then, but I will return. I don't know who this will hurt more. It doesn't matter, because the only way for use to live together is for me to leave you right now.'

He wrapped it in a kunai and tossed it into the medical room as he passed by. He pulled on all his speed and left the building, taking a black cloak with him. Arashi swung that cloak on and ran for the village's gate. "So, he wants me to return here enraged at him and ready to go through anything in my way."

All his memories flooded his mind as tears filled his eyes. Hanzō watched Arashi's escape with a serious expression. "I have one last idea to further my experiment. I need to see if living a life of revenge will weaken a person like Arashi. For that, he needs one more push."

Arashi passed the gate without incident and stopped running. The cloak covered him completely as the gate closed behind him. In a voice filled with hurt and anger, he spoke. "I promise you this. As soon as I know I am strong enough, I will return to this village and take my revenge upon you. Just you wait, you _will_ pay for the wrong you have inflicted on me. But before then, I will succeed at everything that you have failed to _even attempt_. I will _not_ be what you want me to be."

He let himself relax and pulled out the map to his village. He followed the map with thoughts of home filling his mind. Almost a week past before he reached the destination. Arashi truly let his guard down. He looked around the village and noticed that there were two more buildings. He didn't care much about those as he saw his own home slowly come into view. When it did, his blood ran cold. He dashed forward at full speed even though it was impossible. "ARASHI!" This scream made his blood freeze even further.

He pulled out a short swords and a kunai. "I'LL KILL YOU!" This only served as a trigger for a sword to plunge into the one who screamed. Arashi used his sword to slice the man's head off, only for him to fall into a puddle of water. He dropped his weapons and fell to the woman's body. "OKAA-SAN, OKAA-SAN!"

The woman weakly opened her eyes and looked up to her son. Without him realizing, she placed a hand on his cheek. Her tone held the weakness of impending death. "You have grown so much. You look just like your father. I am glad that I got to see you before I die."

Tears began to freely run down his face. "NO! Don't say that. Don't… don't say that."

She wiped one of the tears on his eyes. "Hush now Arashi-chan; no, Arashi-kun. Don't lament over the dead. Live and grow. Make… make me pr." Her voice cut off in that instant as her hand fell.

The night was filled with Arashi's cries of fear, despair, and anger. He stood up, leaving his mothers body where it lay. Daring not to go into his own home before the others, he headed off to one of the newer houses. In the first bed room, he found a boy no more than three-years-old dead. With this one body, Arashi was sure that he was the last of the Ayama clan. He went into another room and froze at the sight. Tears once again fell from his eyes.

The man in the bed was of little consequence to him as he never seen him before in his life. It was the woman that shocked him. It has been over twelve years, but she could only be his Haru-nee. What further increased his sadness was her engorged belly. It dawned on him that his nephew and his pregnant sister were also dead.

With this done, he decided to collect every body outside and to bury them. It took two days for him to learn all the required names and create the holes. In all this time, he not once stepped foot inside of his own home. When he did, he found no other dead bodies. Despite this, he still found something that shocked him to the core. This object was framed in an airtight container. Without hesitation, he broke this container and took it for himself. With this done, he burned all of the buildings, leaving behind only the graves in the middle of what was once the village. In front of all these graves was a much larger grave stone. It had on it, five simple words. 'Here lies the Ayama Clan.'

"If Hanzō wants me to kill him, I won't. I - WILL - DESTROY HIM." His yell scared many birds from their roosts.

**Flashback end.**

Arashi stopped just before entering the village gate. A tear fell from his eyes at all his painful memories. Despite these feelings, he smiled. "Over three years later, I met up with the masters of Ryōzanpaku. Somehow, they were able to literally beat the ideas for revenge out of me. They also showed me the joys of having a student. If I kill Hanzō-shishō, despite all he has done to me, it would be a disgrace to all they taught me. On top of that, they managed to beat the idea of calling him shishō until I defeat him into my head as well. Those people were even crazier than I am now." He pulled out a hidden scroll and unsealed its contents. He looked at it with tear filled eyes. "If you sleep with love, then your rest will be hearty." A tear landed on the pillow before he resealed it. "It is time."

* * *

**I can't help but think that this chapter felt very rushed. I know I wrote 2000 words of it in one day, but I hope that didn't make it too bad. Forgive me if it did.**

**Next Chapter: Pein and Pain.**

**PS: I would like all of you to check out my newest project, "Edel Raid and Pleasure." It is a brand new Naruto/Hinata story that may very well be better than this one. The ideas I have planed for it have had me twitching. I am sure it will be enjoyable.**


	40. Pein and Pain: Chapter 40

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." After many more years, Arashi's relationship with Kyoko developed even further. At this time, Hanzō decided to test out Arashi's abilities. Because he was unimpressed, he punished him by removing Kyoko's arm. In the next battle, Arashi developed some tactics to increase his chances. He managed to deal some damage and save someone from getting injured. In response, Hanzō ordered Arashi to leave the village. He did so without a choice in the matter. When he finally returned to his home, he was greeted by his mother being killed. After burying everyone in his clan, Arashi swore revenge. Now it is the time to carry out that revenge.)

* * *

"**Pein and Pain."**

**This is the last of the Arashi focus chapters. I hope that is turns out to be an exciting one. After reading chapter 444, I had to change this chapter a bit. Arashi will clearly say what I think about Nagato.**

Arashi walked forward with a smile on his face. The appearance of two guards didn't bother him at all. "Halt, who goes there?"

He just continued walking forward while chuckling. "Can't guards say anything else? Next they will say something along the lines of turn back now or face death."

"Turn back now or we shall end you where you stand."

Arashi laughed loudly. "Next on the list, _why you._"

"Why you!" They charged forward with weapons drawn. Just as they were about to strike, their target disappeared. "Where did he…?" They could not finish that thought as Arashi knocked them unconscious.

He laughed as he walked into the raining village. He looked up at the sky with serious blue eyes. "This is odd. This rain feels wrong to me yet I can't see anything. My eyes are telling me that this is no different from a normal shower, but I can't shake this feeling that I shouldn't trust my doujutsu." For the first time in weeks, Arashi deactivated his Keikigan. On top of that, he pulled out one of his chakra restoring pills and ate it. "I will need every edge I can get my hands on." Arashi made his way to the tall tower he grew up in.

At the top of this very tower, a figure wearing a black cloak with red clouds and orange spiky hair opened his eyes. These eyes where grey with a small pupil and black rings surrounding it. "This intruder is making his way here. For him to be making his way here.…" The man narrowed his eyes. "Could he have some connection to Hanzō?"

A woman's voice came from behind him. She also wore the cloak of Akatsuki. She had fairly short black hair and a paper rose in it. "Shall I take care of this intruder?" Although there was no reaction from the man, she left him.

As this happened, Arashi walked through the streets. He looked around and noticed that the streets were fairly clean. "It appears that Ame isn't in the middle of yet another civil war right now. I guess that will make things easier for me." He smiled at the few civilians he saw walking around.

Arashi took noticed of a small boy pointing at the sky. "Look, look; it is our god's angel."

Arashi chuckled. "Well that sounds interesting." Arashi looked up at what the boy would be pointing at. His happy expression changed to one of utter surprise as he saw a woman with white wings that looked like they were made of paper. "That _angel_ is wearing the Akatsuki cloak." He noticed that she was looking at him right in the eyes. "Those are the eyes of someone seeking to kill. If we fight here, innocents will get hurt." He leapt to a building and ran forward. He noticed what truly did look like paper being sent at him like shuriken. These shuriken imbedded themselves deep in the metal buildings and broke windows.

Arashi continued to race forward, dodging all the attacks along the way. The woman narrowed her eyes. "His speed is constantly increasing at random intervals. Just how fast is he?" The chase was short as her target stopped at the very tower she came from. She used more paper shuriken on him, but they were all sliced to bits by a sword that came from his windbreaker. She stopped a good distance from him and waited a few seconds. "Who are you?"

Arashi pointed his sword's tip at her. "It is considered impolite to ask another's name before giving your own."

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "My name is Konan, the angel of Amegakure."

Arashi smirked. "Maybe I can shake her up. I am the mighty Arashi Ayama, the man who killed two immortals in a single day."

Just as Arashi wanted, her eyes widened considerably. "Two immortals? Could he possibly be talking about the two members we have recently lost? If this is so, I can't beat him." She quickly regained her composure. "Are you speaking of Hidan and Kakuzu."

Arashi's smirk became larger. "Hai, I believe that those where their names. I hope me killing them didn't inconvenience you too much Konan-chan."

Konan's eyes widened in anger. "I can't allow this insult to continue. Shikigami's dance." Her body seemed to peel apart as it turned into paper. This paper moved to Arashi with a killing aura.

Arashi looked on with a bored expression. "This woman is practically screaming out her weakness." He raced through a few hand-seals. "Fire Style: Cannon Blast." A large fireball was fired from in front of Arashi. Although the paper moved out of the way, Arashi used a chakra trigger to make the fireball explode. The flames spread out quickly and caught much of the paper. All the paper quickly collected and reformed the woman, who was showing signs of being burned. Arashi pointed at her in a halfhearted manner. "Now look what you made me do. I scorched that pretty skin of yours."

She clenched her teeth at Arashi's taunt. "This isn't good. Not only is this man strong, but he uses strong fire jutsu. On top of that, I doubt that this is his full power." Both combatants' eyes widened just before a large chameleon with a snake tail landed in Arashi's location. Konan quickly composed herself. "Arigato Pein-sama. I do not think I could have defeated him."

A figure with orange hair in a ponytail and large black piercings in his nose and chin nodded at her before turning to his left. **Animal Realm.** Arashi stood in that location with a serious expression. "My name is Arashi Ayama in case you don't know. Who are you?"

Another figure with orange spiky hair landed on the beast. This one had three black piercings through his nose, two small spikes under the lip, and many wide rings on the rims of his ears. **Deva Realm. **This figure was the one who spoke. "We are Pein, the god of peace."

Arashi narrowed his blue eyes considerably. "Individually, these two wouldn't be much stronger than a very powerful jonin like Kakashi. Unfortunately, if their appearance is anything to go by, their teamwork is perfect. The stranger things are those piercings. I can't tell from where, but they are receiving chakra. Not only that, but these two don't seem to be producing chakra for their personal use. Is it possible that they are being animated by one person? It may be best that I just finish what I came here for." Arashi took a deep breath. "Pardon my intrusion, but I would like you to answer some my questions if it isn't any trouble."

Pein narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?"

Arashi smiled. "My answer is in my questions."

The pierced man gave off some killer intend that didn't faze Arashi at all. "You would dare speak to a god in that manner."

"I see a carrot-top with more piercings than a normal person should be able to withstand. I don't see a god. But if I say that, I might not get any info." Arashi bowed in a semi-formal manner. "I apologize greatly Pein-dono. I request that you calm my spirit with your answers. First, have you killed Hanzō-shishō? That is the only way I believe he will give this tower over to even a god."

Pein's killer intent spiked a bit more, yet Arashi was still unfazed. "I killed Hanzō, all of his family, every follower, each and every friend, and all his servants. It appears one acquaintance of his escaped me."

Arashi's eyes widened at the word servants. "No, it can't be. Not Kyoko-chan." Arashi clenched his fists with all his might and looked up at Pein with tears threatening to break out. "Tell me. Do you remember a woman with long hair and only one arm?" There was a level of threat in his voice.

Just before deciding to attack, Pein took noticed of the look in Arashi's eyes. "Judging by that look in your eyes, you may be able to understand a little of my pain. I do remember this woman. Before she died, she begged for me to spare her baby, saying that his father will return for him. I killed this child before the life left her eyes."

Every word that Pein spoke reverberated within Arashi's mind. "He killed Kyoko-chan. She said that her baby's father would return to him. The father had to be outside the village. I had a son. He killed that son and made sure that Kyoko-chan saw it." Without warning, every possible emotion disappeared from both Arashi's face and from his eyes. The total lack of emotion couldn't even be called stoic. It was a true, complete void of emotions.

Pein looked at this with his usual impassive expression. "It appears that his pain was too much for his mind. I see absolutely nothing in his eyes. His will to fight, no; even his will to survive is gone." He closed his eyes. "If that is his wish, then I shall grant it." The chimeric beast charged forward with the full intention of crushing Arashi under its body. Pein closed his eyes in a small prayer as the beast passed over Arashi. His eyes widened when he felt himself and his other body being sent through the air along with the beast.

Both bodies leapt to the ground, using the beast's body as a springboard. They looked at Arashi with a serious expression. The man was in the process of removing everything over his waist and sealing it in a scroll. He then put that scroll in a pocket in his pants. With those clothes out of the way, Arashi's musculature became visible to Pein. The man turned to Pein with the same look on his face that resembled an emotional black hole. "You are a fool." Arashi's voice was so cold; it was hard to even call it cold. Just like his expression, his voice seemed to eat away at every possible speck of emotion around the man. "What can you possibly mean by me understanding a little of your pain. How can you be so certain that you have experienced so much more pain than everyone else. You know nothing of me. Did you have to watch both your parents die before your eyes.

Pein narrowed his eyes. "Hai, I did. How dare you mock my pain. What is this. I am certain he gave up."

"If you are a god, then you should know what in the world this is. As for your parents... how gruesome where their deaths. How viscously did the killer end your parents' lives. Maybe he took his weapon and drug it across their bodies until the blood loss became too much. When they finally died, how horribly did the killer treat their bodies. Did he laugh in your face for over a decade as you futilely plotted your revenge. If your answer matches this level, then I may believe that your pain is indeed superior to mine."

Both bodies clenched their fists. "My pain _is_ greater than yours."

Arashi started walking towards him as if it were a stroll in a park. "I can see it in your eyes. You are now questioning if what you say is true. You are pathetic. The name Pein does not suit you. You shall now be Baka." He still said that with absolutely no emotions.

Both bodies became even more angry for a moment before quickly calming down. "I will kill this man." In a single moment, four more bodies appeared around the two others. Arashi looked at all of them. "You are now facing the Six Paths of Pein."

The first to move was the body with a bald head with six studs and a large ring up its nose. **Asura ****Realm.** He propelled himself forward with boots charged with chakra. With only a millimeter to spare, Arashi avoided the punch. This body ripped up his cloak as its skin opened up. Missiles fired from these openings and aimed themselves at Arashi. Just before the missiles reached him, Arashi began to move. With flawless precision, he touched the sides of the missiles and redirected them away. His body was surrounded by explosion, yet not a single one was close enough to cause any harm.

A body with very long orange hair was next to attack. He had a diagonal bar in its nose, two studs on each cheek, and two more under the lips. **Human Realm.** Arashi dodged his attack with a millimeter to spare before using a simple straight punch to send him flying. Unexpectedly, this body was able to hold his ground despite Arashi's power.

Arashi avoided the chameleon's tongue with the same distance of one millimeter. He pushed the Human Realm into the tongue so that both would be out of the way. He turned to his left and saw Deva Realm standing there with his hand extended. "You are strong. Shinra Tensei."

With no knowledge of what to do, Arashi was sent flying in the direction opposite of Deva Realm. The human projectile was caught from behind by another body. This one was very chubby with many spikes in his lower lip, two studs up his nose, and two spikes in his cheeks. **Preta Realm.** In a single instant, Arashi felt large amounts of chakra being pulled out of his body. "Mubyoshi." The body was forced to stumble back with the force of Arashi's elbow. "I lost a third of my chakra in an instant." Arashi turned around and launched his first attack. With amazing efficiency, he brought this body to the ground before snapping his neck with an ax kick. "One down."

Deva Realm stopped in front of Arashi and stared at him seriously. "Why do you still fight? I can neither see nor feel any desire to fight or live."

"Wrong. I will defeat you." Despite the words, Pein could hear no conviction in them. Sensing something from behind, Arashi turned around. The very same body whose neck he broke was now standing there in perfect condition. Next to this body was another. This one had a very manly face with seven studs that formed a pyramid pattern and three long spikes in each ear. **Naraka Realm.**

In the first show of emotion, Arashi's eyes widened. "That's not possible. I am certain that I killed that one." Realizing his mistake, Arashi leapt to the side to avoid any potential attacks. The result was him getting a large gash in his side. For a single moment during this injury, Arashi could feel his movements stopping. He looked at himself and noticed that chakra that wasn't his own was being forced out of his body by his chakra. It took only a second for the chakra to be removed and for Arashi to regain full possible movement. "What was that?"

"It appears that what ever jutsu you were using to fight that well was dependent on your emotionless state."

Arashi turned toward Deva Realm with narrowed eyes. "That's right. The Streaming Seikūken is so delicate that even the slightest amount of external emotion can shatter its effects." As Arashi explained these effects, his thoughts went down another path. "This isn't good. Not only have I lost around a third of my chakra, but I have also received this large cut in my side. On top of all this, I killed one of them and he was somehow brought back. Even if there were only five of them, my chances are low. My only option is to use _those_ to help me run away." Arashi clenched his teeth in frustration for not being able to defeat Pein.

"Your Streaming Seikūken sounds like an interesting ability. If everyone in this world were to master it, then peace through understanding may actually be possible." Deva Realm closed his eyes in thought. "Even so, I can not allow you to leave this village alive."

Arashi smirked. "I am afraid that I am not going to give you a choice in that matter. FIRST GATE, GATE OF OPENING: OPEN!"

Deva Realm's eyes opened in surprise. "KILL HIM!"

"SECOND GATE, GATE OF REST: OPEN!"

The six bodies closed in on Arashi as he gave off unbelievable amounts of power. That distance was closed as their prepared to launch their killing blow. They stumbled forward at the lack of resistance against their attacks. They turned to the side, seeing the figure they knew to be Arashi leaping clear over the gates around Amegakure. Deva Realm snapped the long black rod in his hands clear in half. Konan walked over to them with a worried expression. "I apologize Pein-sama. He escaped."

"It is not your fault Konan. If I could not stop him, then you couldn't. Considering his power level, there is nothing we can do to keep our identities secret any further. I doubt opening only two gates will leave him weakened for long. Even if we send men after them, we will only be reducing our numbers. I will kill him when the time comes."

Countless miles away from Amegakure, a large aerial figure crashed into the forest. Five trees were brought to the ground as it tumbled through. As the smoke cleared, Arashi was revealed within it. He pushed himself to a standing position and winced in pain. "I _hate_ opening those gates. If I had a normal muscle structure like Guy and Lee, two gates wouldn't be too much of a problem. Unfortunately, my muscle structure isn't normal. Because of this, the power I get from those gates is enormous. On the down side, opening only two gates causes as much physical damage as opening five does for a normal person. I have little doubt that the fourth could kill me the instant it is opened. With two, it will probably be three weeks before I recover fully." Arashi used a tree to push himself away from Ame and winced with every step he took.

After five days of stumbling through the forest, Arashi came across a path. He followed this path and came across a village one day later. Even though he made sure to put his shirt and windbreaker back on, people looked at him strangely because of his constant limp and ghastly expression. He turned to his left and entered the building there. He moved to a corner and sat at the table alone. After a few seconds, a waitress walked up to him. "Can I help you sir."

Arashi looked up to the girl. When he did, his eyes widened as tears fell from them. The waitress had long brown hair that turned reddish brown near the bottom. Her eyes were also a light shade. "Kyoko." The girl blinked in confusion. Arashi shut his eyes and shook his head. "Gomen, you looked like a woman I knew."

Her gaze softened at his sad voice. "Did she dump you?"

Arashi's right fist clenched hard enough to draw blood. "She was killed along with our son." The girl gasped loudly and took a step back. "Can you bring me a bottle of sake?"

She bowed to him a bit. "Hai."

Minutes later, the bottle he asked for was laid out in front of him. "Here you are handsome." Arashi looked and noticed that he was being served by a much older waitress.

Arashi nodded to her before taking the bottle into his hands and drinking it directly. The liquid burned his throat greatly, but he welcomed the feeling. He continued to drink until just over half of the bottle was gone. He looked at the bottle with a sour expression. "This is the first time I have drank sake. I have a feeling that even though my muscles are exhausted, my organs are still at their peak. My system is getting cleaned of alcohol faster than I can get drunk." In his frustration, Arashi crushed the half-empty bottle in his hands. Shards of porcelain cut into his hand as the very alcoholic solution splashed these wounds. Arashi walked up to the counter and spoke to the bartender. "How much for the bottle of sake?"

The man gave him a sad expression. "Let it be on the house."

Arashi narrowed his eyes. "I don't _need_ pity." The venom in his voice scared the man considerably. Arashi pulled out a random amount of money and set it on the bar. As he stumbled out, blood dripped onto the floor. The girl from before walked up to him and gave him a worried expression. "Y-you need someone to take a look at that."

Arashi looked at his hand with an apathetic expression. "This is only a scratch compared to what recently closed on my side. The alcohol should have killed any disease. Just leave me alone." Arashi left the building and continued walking through the village. He walked up to a building that he knew held yet another common vice that he never thought of doing before this day. "Perhaps some simple company is what I need."

He walked into the building with his hands in his pockets. He froze where he stood when he saw a figure sitting on one of the couches surrounded by two gaudy women. "ALRIGHT _LADIES! _ Which one of you wants to be the one to provide an honest contribution to my _research._"

* * *

**Okay, is it just me, or does Arashi plus sulking feel like an impossible equation. Even with what happened, I find it hard to believe; _and I'm the author._ Anyways, read and review. I would really like feedback for this particular chapter, especially after that verbal lashing I added in.**

**Next Chapter: Second Student.**


	41. Second Student: Chapter 41

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Arashi waltzed into Ame with a smile on his face. He shortly encountered Konan and ran from her. Once his destination was reached, Arashi fought her off with relative ease. Pein appeared at this time. After telling Arashi of him killing Kyoko and her child, he attacks. After this, the battle between Arashi and Pein began. Arashi fought fiercely, but was caught off guard by Pein's strange abilities. In the end, he was forced to run. After six days, he finds himself inside a village. He sulks his way through before making a surprising encounter.)

* * *

"**Second Student"**

**For those who haven't guessed, it was Jiraiya in the previous chapter. (You would have to be very stupid not to get that.) That means Naruto isn't far off. Now, let's see what happens when the two most unpredictable shinobi in my story meet.**

Arashi slapped his hand on his head, bringing attention to him. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

The man who had two women flanking him gave Arashi a good look. "_Hey, it's Arashi._" His voice had a very drunken tone."What brings you here?"

Arashi looked to the side. "That is _my_ business."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "That is odd. The Arashi I remember from last year was a happy-go-lucky jokester. Now he looks like Tsunade if you mention the names Dan or Nawaki. What's wrong with you?"

Arashi met Jiraiya's eyes with a glare for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. "I did come here for some company. As long as the person is willing to listen, gender shouldn't matter. If he fawns over me though, I _am_ going to hit him."

Arashi walked over to the long couch and sat next to the woman who was the least gaudy. He closed his eyes and recited his long past. Once he was done with that, he explained how the woman he loved was dead as was the child they had. During this story, Arashi avoided mentioning the connection to Akatsuki and Hanzō. As Arashi expected, the woman next to him started fawning over him. The other one also left Jiraiya to fawn over Arashi. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "He's stealing my ladies." He looked down with a sad expression. "Still, if all that is true, he deserves the attention. It is surprising that he is not like Sasuke." Jiraiya stood up and placed his hand on Arashi's shoulder. "Don't worry; there are other fish in the sea gaki."

The next thing Jiraiya knew, he was flying backwards five feet at the word gaki. Jiraiya looked at Arashi with surprised in his eyes. Arashi gave him an icy glare. "Consider yourself lucky that I am not at full strength right now or you would be in a lot more pain."

"HERE YOU ARE ERO-SENNIN!" Everyone turned to the entrance. Standing there was a teenage boy wearing a tiger design outfit. Some of the women looked at this and felt a growl reach their throats. The blond looked at the couch for a few seconds before pointing. "ARASHI; _YOU'RE_ A PERVERT TOO!"

Arashi blinked a few times in confusion. "Naruto-kun, don't you know that it is impolite to point at others. Also, I am not a pervert based on your description. I am just here because I wanted some company. There is nothing wrong with that."

"Whatever Ero-Arashi." Naruto pointed again. "WHAT IS UP WITH THAT HELL YOU SENT ME TOO?! I DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY WERE TRYING TO KILL ME OR TRAIN ME!"

Arashi looked up and placed a finger on his chin. "Honestly, I was half expecting you to die." Naruto's jaw dropped at Arashi's words. Jiraiya and the women started chuckling. When Arashi noticed this, his eyes widened a bit. "This kid already has me cracking jokes. Maybe he is just what I need to get out of this slump." Arashi stood up and looked down at Naruto will a smile. "You are in luck Naruto-kun. I have nothing to do for around seven months now. I am going to teach you taijutsu that will put all that training in Kumo to use."

Naruto composed himself and gained a happy expression. "Really Ero-Arashi. With insane training like that, this guy has to know some awesome taijutsu."

Arashi smiled. "That's right. I am _defiantly_ going to get back at him for all these Ero comments. Unfortunately I have to wait for all my strength to return. I have a powerful combo and a supper punch for you to learn. Your foes won't know what hit them."

Naruto took up a very excited pose. "Yosh. I just hope Ero-Arashi isn't as easily distracted as Ero-Sennin"

Arashi smirked at Naruto. "I won't be able to teach you anything big until I regain all my strength. I am very weak right now. We will be starting on something basic." Naruto's expression went from happy to disappointment. "Don't give me that Naruto-kun. If one does not master the basics, how could they ever hope to master anything advanced."

Jiraiya crossed his arms and nodded. "Listen to this man Naruto. He may be younger than me, but his experience still far surpasses your own. His words hold great wisdom. Do not blow him off before training under him."

Naruto crossed his arms and huffed. "_Alright_, but if he blows me off for peeping, I am going to Rasengan him all the way to Konoha."

Arashi laughed. "No worries about that Naruto-kun. I have no intention on taking a peek at this village's women. I find it far more entertaining to get the girl to desire me seeing her, _outside_ of material reasons; even if it takes more time."

Jiraiya looked at Arashi with a deadpan expression. "Well I guess that everyone has their own preferences."

Naruto glared at Arashi. "So you are _still_ a pervert."

Arashi chuckled. "You have a lot to learn about life in general Naruto-kun. I guess that I have no choice but to give you a lesson on that as well."

Naruto stared at him for a few seconds with a dead expression. He then turned around and started running. "AHHHH, ERO-ARASHI SWINGS BOTH WAYS!"

Jiraiya fell to his side and started to laugh himself to death. The women to Arashi's sides were trying their best to stifle their laughter, but they were failing miserably. Arashi's only outward reaction was a smirk. "I am _defiantly_ getting him back for that. That baka-blond has no clue who he is dealing with." Arashi waited a minute for Jiraiya to stop laughing before turning to him with a smile. "Jiraiya, what are the chances that I can stay with you two. I have only just arrived in this village."

Jiraiya had to stifle his snickering. "I can't wait to see how Naruto reacts to this." The toad sage stopped his laughter and looked at Arashi seriously. "I guess that there shouldn't be any problem with that. You have to sleep on the floor though. I am not interested in sharing a bed and you can guess what Naruto would say."

"No worries. If there is one thing I love doing, it is sealing things I may need into scrolls. I have a futon, a pillow, and blankets all sealed away. I am already fully set up."

Jiraiya huffed. "At least _someone_ sees the beauty of seals."

Arashi laughed a bit. "Let me guess. The blond didn't have the patience for it."

Jiraiya frowned. "Hai, that is true. Honestly, even with a year wasted on training in Kumo that kid is learning quickly. If it weren't for the fact that he throws Shadow Clones at every hurdle he reaches, we would be far behind on his training. I don't know what to do with all this extra time."

Arashi laughed some more. "That won't be as big a problem with what I am going to teach him. Actually, Shadow Clones will be a hindrance to one of the things I plan to teach him. With this, his taijutsu will be brought to a whole new level."

Jiraiya nodded. "I have something I must ask you. When is the soonest we can expect you to be able to move to another location."

"Probably in a week. Why do you ask?"

"You may not know this, but there is a group that is after Naruto. I would prefer that we stay on the move so it is harder to pinpoint our location."

Arashi's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing. "Hai, I know of the group you are speaking of. Rest assured; I understand your worries." Arashi closed his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. His eyes opened and revealed a frightening amount of seriousness. "While Naruto is training tomorrow, you and I are going to have a little talk."

Jiraiya let out a small sound of confusion. "Hai."

Arashi turned to the women and looked into their eyes. "I greatly appreciate the attention from before." The grateful look in his eyes, when used in combination with his shifting blue eyes, forced both women into a speechless and blushing state.

Jiraiya was fairly impressed by this. "Wow, these women must have spent a great deal of time dealing with the smooth talking types. Despite this experience, this man was able to break through the women that are simply doing their job. He should be able to find a nice woman the instant he's ready."

Arashi followed Jiraiya all the way back to his rather cheep hotel room. When he saw this, Naruto's first reaction was to point and yell. Jiraiya hit the teen on the head and went into a rant on him respecting those older, wiser, and stronger than him. As Arashi looked onto this scene, he couldn't help but chuckle. "These two are entertaining without me having to do a thing. I wonder how entertaining they are when I _do_ join in." As all three prepared for bed, Arashi contemplated his first prank. "It may be a little on the creepy side, but the kid deserves it; not to mention that it will be _very _funny."

In the next morning, the sun shined brightly as the songs of birds filled the outside air. All three occupants rested themselves semi-silently. The blond occupant released a loud snort and began to pull himself from dreamland. He took a look to his left as his sight started to become clear. His eyes widened suddenly. "NANI!?"

"Morning Naruto-kun."

Naruto bounded out of bed and pressed himself against the wall while pointing at the person with a shaky finger. "Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y…. WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED ERO-ARASHI!?"

Although Arashi certainly had a snippy comeback, he was laughing too hard to use it. Because of the noise, Jiraiya woke up. The first thing he looked at was Naruto against the wall yelling. He then looked at Arashi on Naruto's bed laughing his butt off. After a few seconds, his mind put two and two together. Now the floor had to hold up two men laughing their butts off. This served as a good reason for Naruto to get ticked off.

"WHERE DO YOU GET OFF SLEEPING IN ANOTHER GUY'S BED?!"

Arashi sat up and stifled his laughter with much effort. "It's funny." These two words renewed the ferocity of both men's laughter and furthered Naruto's irritation.

"IF YOU DID ANYTHING, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" They responded by laughing even harder.

This time it was Jiraiya that stifled his laughter. "Give the guy a break Naruto." He laughed for a few seconds. "Arashi hasn't been laid since he was nineteen."

All laughter ceased as a very depressing and solemn feeling filled the room. Jiraiya could only look down with regret in his eyes. Arashi stood up and walked over to the balcony. "I am going to get me some breakfast. You two can meet me in the clearing southeast of this village." The cold of his voice sent chills down the backs of Jiraiya and Naruto.

Naruto looked out the balcony with sympathetic eyes. "What happened to him Ero-Sennin?"

Jiraiya let out a sigh. "I said something I shouldn't have. That man is surprisingly sensitive."

The two prepared themselves for the morning and headed off to the clearing Arashi mentioned. When they arrived, they saw Arashi just sitting there with his legs crossed and his hands in the ram hand seal. "He's meditating."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious Naruto. Since he has made it clear that his body isn't well enough for anything extensive, he is training his mind. He may be a jokester, but there is nothing funny about his skill level. I am sure of this much."

Arashi stood up and walked over to Naruto. "Naruto-kun, I believe that I came up with a perfect thing for you to start on. As you know, it is quite important to be able to deal a great amount of damage to your enemy. The problem with this theory is the fact that everyone else believes this as well. If you come across someone who can do more damage than you and can avoid your tricks, then it is a guarantied loss."

Naruto crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "Then how do I defeat someone like that."

"The answer is very simple Naruto-kun. You charge into the attacks you can't avoid head-on and deflect them with your body." The expressions on their faces deadpanned. "Don't give me that look. It is a lot more effective than you think. There are always occasions where the only way to defeat an opponent is to take one of his attacks head-on. This is the best way to get through their guard."

Naruto pouted, remembering how he has done that very thing many times in his life. "Well, how do I train for this?"

"That is simple as well. All you'll really need are three Shadow Clones. You stand in one spot and tense as many of your muscles as you can while they wail on you." Once again, the other two couldn't believe the words coming out of Arashi's mouth. "Seriously, you two have never heard of body hardening. If you do this continuously, you can take a very powerful punch and not feel a thing. This is basic knowledge that was _beaten _into me for a long time. Just get ready Naruto-kun."

Naruto frowned. "Fine, this better work or my clones will turn on you next." Naruto formed his hand-seal and three clones popped out.

"One more thing Naruto-kun. There are some areas in the body that won't get much tougher no matter how many times they are hit. These are the eyes, ears, nose, and the parts between your legs. It is completely pointless for your clones to hit you in those spots. Now get started and go easy at first."

The three clones saluted him. "Hai."

"Jiraiya and I will back away as you train. I will be watching so don't slack off."

The pair backed away just as the clones started hitting their creator. Arashi sat down and Jiraiya stood beside him. "Tell me what you wanted to talk about."

"First, you must promise that you won't react too loudly to the information I am going to give you. I want you to go as far as to cover your mouth. There is no need to alert the student."

"That's a strange request but alright." Jiraiya sat down beside Arashi and covered his mouth.

"I told you about how I returned to Ame and found out that someone killed the previous village leader and everyone connected to him." Arashi's voice quickly became darker. "I have strong reason to believe that this person is the leader of Akatsuki."

A loud muffled voice came from Jiraiya that would have been the word nani if it wasn't for his fingers being in the way. He leaned to Arashi and spoke with a hushed voice. "The leader of Akatsuki. Are you completely certain of this?"

"I am not completely certain that he is the leader, but there is no doubt that he is one of the most powerful members of Akatsuki. The black cloak with red clouds is a big giveaway. If I didn't run away from him, I would certainly be dead right now."

"It makes sense that he is that strong. He would have to be to defeat Hanzō." Jiraiya's eyes widened for a bit. "Wait a second. You said yesterday that in the place where you were trained, it was by the village leader."

"If you are talking about me training under Hanzō; hai, that is the case. Hanzō as well as others were killed by the man named Pein, who is potentially the Akatsuki leader."

"Well, things seem to be going well for me when it is coming to Akatsuki. First I find out that Akatsuki has been set back for half a year. Only moments later, I find out that two of their members have been eliminated and they can only find one replacement. Now I know where their leader is. If this keeps up, Akatsuki will cease to be a problem by time this training trip is over."

"Jiraiya, cover your mouth." He blinked a few times but complied. "Do you know that the half a year delay and the loss of two members are both connected. I should know since I am directly responsible for killing both."

The same muffled sound came from Jiraiya's mouth. "Are you trying to tell me that you defeated two members of Akatsuki all by yourself? I find that a big pill to swallow."

"I wasn't by myself. My disciple did a very good job is distracting one of them as I defeated the other. Once he was defeated, I took care of the other."

Jiraiya started pouting. "Either this Akatsuki member was the weakest one, or you have an amazing disciple. What is the boy's name?"

"She's a girl."

Jiraiya's pout became bigger. "You even have a female disciple. I really am jealous. Now I _have _to know her name."

"Cover your mouth." Jiraiya gave Arashi a sour look but complied. "Her name is Hinata Hyuga." Arashi chuckled at the sound coming from Jiraiya's muffled mouth.

"Are you kidding me? How in the world did you manage that? Not only would you have to get through the Hokage, but you would also have to deal with her clan."

"It was easier than you think. I simply walked up to Bosom Mountain herself, and paid for a three-year-long escort mission."

Jiraiya started snickering uncontrollably. Arashi waited patiently for Jiraiya to calm down. "Bosom Mountain?" He snickered some more. "I have never heard of that one before. Anyways, I guess that it was pretty clever to make it into a mission. Konoha is in need of money so they couldn't refuse you. Where is the girl now?"

Arashi reached over to Jiraiya and covered the man's mouth. "Kumo." Once again, Jiraiya would have screamed out if it wasn't for the mouth cover.

"Are you crazy?"

"Hai. Very much so."

"Don't you know that Kumo once tried to kidnap her when she was three? I know that you are well respected in the village, but don't you think that you are pushing it too far. Let us not forget that Ryōzanpaku place. I can't imagine a little girl like her surviving it."

"Don't worry Jiraiya. They are already aware that she is very different from Naruto. Her training regimen will be no more difficult for her as Naruto's was for him. I hope you can keep this secret for now. If Konoha finds out, there is no telling what could happen."

Jiraiya let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll keep silent. I hope you plan on taking full responsibility if something does go wrong."

Arashi smiled. "I wouldn't be a man if I didn't." He looked at Jiraiya with a smirk. "I have one last thing I have to tell you; but you must first cover your mouth one last time."

Jiraiya's eyes widened a bit. "With all the big news he gave me, this has to be good as well." Jiraiya covered his mouth like before. Arashi looked at Jiraiya seriously and took a fairly deep breath that only served to build up the tension. "This should be big."

"I like pie." The resulting face-fault and laughter could be heard for a great distance. Arashi ended his laughter and looked at Naruto seriously. "That kid is quite the hard worker. Most people would have stopped at this point."

Jiraiya glared at Arashi for a few seconds before turning to Naruto. "You're right. He will probably be at this until he can't stand anymore. That is just how he is."

Arashi nodded and yawned. "Well, I am going to get some sleep. Preparing for this morning's prank took a fair bit of time out of the morning." Jiraiya chuckled as Arashi fell to the grassy ground. "Don't laugh. I plan on getting you too." It was Arashi's turn to chuckle when Jiraiya stopped.

"Maybe I should take Naruto and leave now before that happens. Something tells me that this guy is no slouch when it comes to getting a laugh out of someone."

Hours passed before Naruto finally collapsed from the extensive body hardening workout. Arashi stood up at this time and walked over to the blond. He lowered himself and pulled out a kunai. He turned it around and started poking Naruto with the ring. "Wake up Naruto-kun."

Jiraiya looked at this blankly. "What is he doing?"

Thanks to the constant poking, Naruto was brought to consciousness. When he saw Arashi, Naruto jumped up and backed away. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING ERO-ARASHI?!"

Arashi quickly turned his kunai around and showed it to Naruto. "I was poking you with my kunai. I hope I didn't pierce anything vital."

Naruto blanched for a second before pointing at Arashi angrily. "YOU'RE LYING! HOW DO I KNOW THAT YOU WERE EVEN USING THAT KUNAI?!"

Jiraiya fell to the ground and began laughing loudly. Arashi smiled softly. "My previous idea for how I am getting back at him isn't good enough. I need something bigger."

The day ended and each person went to sleep in their own beds; which Naruto made sure of. As they slept, Arashi pulled out some of his personal supplies and worked on them. The days passed by with them working on body hardening and basic attack forms. Eventually, the night before the end of the week was reached. "Alright Naruto, Arashi; we are leaving this village tomorrow. We have been here long enough already."

Arashi gave Jiraiya a blank stare. "And you are addressing me like a child why?"

"Because you act like one half the time."

Naruto began snickering at Jiraiya's insult. "And a person who peeks on women like a young teenager _is_ mature."

Naruto burst out into full laughter as Jiraiya's eye twitched. "How many times do I have to tell both of you? It is research."

"That doesn't make you a scientist." Now the blond was on the floor. "I would like this to continue, but I have something to do tonight before we leave." Arashi stood up and jumped out of the window. In just a simple minute, he found himself at his destination. He walked into the building and looked around. "If I remember correctly, this is about the right time." His eyes settled upon his target and he closed the distance. "Hello there, do you remember me."

The girl with long brown hair turned around and gasped. "I-it is you. H-how do you feel?"

"You needn't worry about be. I recently met up with a couple of baka that helped me regain most of my old self. I came here because I would like to let you know that I am okay in my own way. To do this, I made you something." Arashi procured a large white box from a seal inside of his windbreaker.

She pushed the box back to Arashi with a blush on her face. "No. Y-you didn't have to."

"That may be true, but I did so anyways. Now that it is complete, I have no use for it outside of giving it to you. Because of your similarity to the one I lost, I don't think I can leave this village without giving this to you. If I don't, it will just weigh on my heart."

He opened the box a bit to show its contents. As luck would have it, she wasn't holding anything at the time, for if she was, it would have fell when her hands rose to her mouth to cover up the loud gasp. "It's beautiful." What was inside the box was one of the most beautiful kimono she has seen in her life. "I… I don't know what to say."

"Well, I _would_ like to know your name. Mine is Arashi Ayama."

"A-Akimi."

"Alright then Akimi-chan. Make sure you use that to attract a decent guy. I'll be rooting for you." The next moment saw him gone with the speed only shinobi are capable of.

Akimi blushed at his words and actions. "That man is very strange."

The next morning came, prompting the trio to leave the village. A week passed as Arashi continued to have Naruto working on his body hardening as well as well as some basic attack forms. Arashi woke up this morning and stretched his body. "Finally, my body is back at full strength. Now the _fun_ can truly begin."

* * *

**When you review, please remember to say a prayer for poor Naruto. Do not forget that he keeps calling my OC Ero-Arashi. Next chapter, you will find out what an irritated Arashi considers _fun_.**

**Next Chapter: Trees and Combo.**


	42. Trees and Combo: Chapter 42

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Arashi ran into Jiraiya and was convinced to reveal most of his past. After this, Naruto showed up. As with his normal behavior, Naruto made Arashi secretly mad. On the next day, Arashi performed his first prank on Naruto. During the training for that day, Jiraiya learned even more about Arashi. After many more weeks and a bit of traveling, all of Arashi's strength returned to him as he spent that morning stretching out the last kinks.)

* * *

"**Trees and Combo"**

**I honestly think that this chapter has the craziest Arashi has ever been. I can't help but feel that this chapter is a bit rushed too.**

As Arashi stretched, a completely happy aura surrounded everything around him. The look on his face was the most childish and idiotic expression you will ever see on a person's face. It was the face of a truly happy-go-lucky idiot. It creeped both Naruto and Jiraiya out. "Why are you so happy Ero-Arashi?"

"Because my dear Naruto-kun; all of my strength has finally returned. I feel better right now than I have for weeks. Nothing can ruin this day for me."

"O_kay_."

As Naruto turned away from Arashi, Jiraiya continued looking at the man. This is why only he saw the shift in expression. The big happy puppy eyes narrowed considerably as his hair cast them in shadow. The way his eyes glowed blue added to the intended effect. Along with all this, his smile was of someone on the brink of insanity; if they haven't already pasted that brink. The final touch was the horrifying menacing aura. As soon as Naruto turned around, he was back to looking as cute as a puppy. As soon as Naruto turned back around, Arashi's expression changed again. With one look, Jiraiya was scared out of the room. "I don't know what he is planning to do to Naruto, but it isn't my business. I will be better off if I don't get involved. The ladies are waiting anyways."

An evil grin showed itself on Arashi's face at Jiraiya's disappearance. "It seems that the true pervert is gone. _Perfect._"

"What's up with Ero-Sennin?"

Arashi's expression changed to a normal happy one. "Don't worry about it Naruto-kun. Maybe the pervert is behind on his _research_. Let's forget about him. Now that I have regained all of my strength, the real training will begin as promised." Naruto began jumping around and yelling his praises. "What a naïve child. It almost makes me pity him … _almost._"

"What are you teaching me Ero-Arashi? Will you teach me an awesome attack that will let me punch as hard and Obaa-chan?"

"Once again, I almost pity him. I will be teaching you a powerful punch, but you may have to get stronger before you're capable of something like that. Meet me out in the field we passed by on our way here." Arashi was gone in an instant.

Naruto blinked stupidly for a few seconds before smiling. Naruto followed Arashi's lead and left the room. After five minutes, he reached the field that Arashi spoke of. This field had only about ten small trees that could be seen with the human eye. The man was sitting next to a tree not to far from the path in a meditative state. The strange thing about this tree was that all the branches were removed so that it would just be a tall spire. "What are you going to teach me Ero-Arashi?"

Arashi opened his eyes and smiled at the blond. "First, let me ask you some questions."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "_Fine._"

"You have been working on body hardening for a few weeks now. How much would you say your clones' punches hurt now?"

Naruto grinned widely. "You were right about the body hardening. They don't hurt me at all anymore."

"Good, now how would you like to play a little _game?_"

Naruto completely missed out on the unique way Arashi said game. "Do we have too? I want to get to training."

"I will only train you if you play this game with me."

"_Fine_, but we better not waste all day on playing around."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I am sure the game will be over _very_ quickly. The first thing I need you to do is to stand over there." Arashi pointed at a spot only five meters behind him. Naruto wasted no time in getting there. "You shouldn't be in a hurry Naruto-kun."

"So, what is this game called?"

Arashi stood up and wrapped both his hands around as much as the tree as possible. With a single yank, he ripped this tree out of the ground. "I am sure you will be able to figure out how the game works by its name." Naruto's eyes widened when an evil aura surrounded Arashi. The blond could have sworn he could see evil spirits. "It is called; _Dodge the Tree._"

Naruto finally understood his situation. A large open field without obstacles, the village a good distance away, and he was the weakest person there. "E-E-Ero-Arashi."

The man holding the tree laughed so darkly that it chilled Naruto to his core. "I _highly_ advise against ever calling me that again. Now let's _play._ You have three seconds."

With nothing else in mind, Naruto put Arashi behind him and began to run. "He is insane." The boy ran as fast as he could for those three seconds.

"HERE I COME NARUTO-KUN!"

Naruto looked behind him and noticed Arashi catching up with him. "I have to use some of those trees for cover." He ran for the closest one.

"NICE TRY NARUTO-KUN!"

His eyes widened when he realized that the voice was coming from in front of him. Another Arashi appeared from behind the tree. He stopped in surprise. "THAT IS CHEATING!"

He flinched at the foreboding presence behind him. "_Bad move Naruto-kun_." He turned around in time to see Arashi halfway to hitting him. **Five seconds later.** "I broke my toy." He was looking at the tree which was broken in half. He looked to the sky. "Judging by Naruto-kun's trajectory and the way the wind is moving him, this is going to be fun." He ran for Naruto's landing spot with his half a tree.

**Elsewhere.**

"Ho, ho, _ho_. That's the _way_ ladies. You should all feel honored to be subjects for my _research_." He suddenly heard the sound of a large object hurtling through the air. His jaw nearly hit the ground when he saw what the object was, and where it was going to land. "_NO, not the ladies._"

The next second was met with a loud splash and many screams. Down in the springs, the half conscious Naruto floated on top of the water. After a few seconds passed, a few women noticed that he was not a she. They stalked towards him with obvious killing intent. "READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!"

The women stopped at the strange sight of a man carrying what looked like half a tree landing on the water. He picked the boy up and sent him flying with a swing. The women had one thought. "What is happening here?"

Satisfied with Naruto's second flight, he turned his attention to the women. "I apologize for the intrusion ladies." A woman with shaggy dark red hair caught his attention. "I didn't know women could be that flat." He was gone before she could even think of hitting him.

Up in his perch, Jiraiya was scribbling in his notebook. "Arigato Arashi. I can use that line."

"FORE!" Jiraiya turned around just in time to see the tree that hit him. "That should give those women something to vent their frustrations on. I am sure the Great Toad Sage can handle it." Arashi broke his attention from Jiraiya's screams and turned to where Naruto flew.

A pair of blue eyes opened as Naruto slowly woke up. He was treated to the terrifying sight of Arashi holding half a tree on his shoulder. "BACK AWAY ONI-ARASHI!" **Oni is a word for demon or evil.**

Arashi grinned darkly. "So I am Oni-Arashi now?" He closed the distance on the terrified teen. "I can live with that." His expression became happy.

Thanks to the _fun_ Arashi had for that day, Naruto was unable to perform any additional training. Both he and Jiraiya sat in their rooms in very bad condition. This was especially the case when compared to the very pristine Arashi. Jiraiya glared at the man before leaning towards Naruto. "Okay kid. I know that you and I don't get along very well; but we both have a common enemy right now. If we want to defeat him, we may have to work together, understood."

"You two do know that I can hear you. I will make sure to always have my guard up. Nothing either of you can do will ever catch me by surprise."

Jiraiya and Naruto went from stiff as a board to angry very quickly. "DON'T THINK YOU HAVE US BEAT WITHOUT US EVEN TRYING!"

Arashi chuckled. "Whatever. Just don't spend too much time tonight trying to come up with ways to get back at me. Now that I have ended all those Ero-Arashi comments, I plan on actually teaching you something tomorrow."

"You better be telling the truth Oni-Arashi."

"And what are you going to do if I don't. Last I checked; your strength doesn't hold a candle to mine. The day I consider you a potential threat is the day you become Hokage."

"I WILL BE HOKAGE!"

Arashi smirked. "Good. That is the kind of spirit any disciple of mine should have. I'll expect you to be well rested tomorrow. I won't be responsible for what happens to you if you aren't."

Naruto blanching quite was noticeable. "Hai, understood. I-will-get-plenty-of-rest." He climbed into his bed.

Jiraiya watched this exchange with a dumbfounded expression. He moved over to Arashi and pointed at the blond. "How did you do that?"

An evil smile and aura came off of Arashi. "It sometimes helps to be the type of person you don't want to cross."

Jiraiya laughed nervously. "I can't believe that I am having second thoughts about getting back at this guy. He's almost as scary as any woman I met, including my teammate."

**In the next day on the same field.**

"Alright Naruto-kun. It is finally time for me to start teaching you the combo attack. This combo is formed out of four different attacks from four different fighting styles. Its main purpose is to catch the opponent off guard and to bring them to the ground while doing considerable damage at the same time. The first thing you must learn are the four attacks that make up the combo."

Naruto became excited. "So you really are going to teach me something today."

"Hai, I am. First I am going to demonstrate it. The best way to learn is to experience it first hand. I suggest using a Shadow Clone. You will receive its memories when I destroy it. You will also be able to see the attack from a different angle with your own eyes. Create the clone now."

"Hai. Shadow Clone Jutsu." The clone popped into existence.

"Good; now I will destroy it. Take note that this attack is from a style called Karate." Arashi made his way to the clone and stood in front of it. Arashi stepped forward in an obvious attack for the clone's face. He easily dodged it. It was too late for him to dodge the punch heading for his gut. Arashi turned to the remaining Naruto. "As you can see, all humans are naturally inclined to protect their face. This resulted in a large opening elsewhere. You use your other fist to make use of this opening. Remember this one thing. The time between each fist must be much shorter than what I showed you. You need to catch your opponent completely off guard or you can't start the combo."

"LET'S GET STARTED! SHADOW CLONE!" He suddenly stopped at the oppressive feeling coming off of Arashi.

"You are not ready to start practicing the attack using clones. Just because you saw an attack, doesn't mean that you are ready to start practicing it. You don't even know the basic mechanics of the attack. All you know is to attack with two fists. I will demonstrate slowly. There is _no_ need to provide a target."

Naruto nodded nervously. "He really is Oni-Arashi."

"First, you must realize which hand of yours is stronger. I have seen enough of you to know that your right hand is stronger. From there, the fist you want to hit the body should be the right. You must first step out with your left foot." Arashi demonstrated this. "Next, you must strike at the head with your left. In less than half a second, your right must follow for the body. Even though it is likely that your left fist will be dodged or blocked, you must use it as if you are certain that it will hit your target. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded. "Hai."

"Then demonstrate for me." Arashi walked up and stood right in front of Naruto.

The blond was hesitant for a few seconds, but he eventually smirked. "Don't go crying to you mommy if you get hurt."

Arashi narrowed his eyes as anger spiked within him. "Naruto-kun, please don't say anything like that. Like you, I don't have parents."

Naruto's eyes widened. "I.. I…." He looked down. "Gomen."

Arashi chuckled. "Don't worry about it baka. Aren't you going to attack? If not, then you are wasting my time." Arashi blocked Naruto's fist in the next second. "Very good. I saw a few mistakes, but it was nothing ten Shadow Clones can't fix."

Arashi moved his hands to match Naruto's. "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

This caused Naruto some confusion. "Oni-Arashi; why did you make a clone?"

"So it can fix the mistakes your clones make as I teach you the next move. This move is from Muay Tai." Naruto let out his excitement as Arashi walked off. "Naruto-kun, I am going to need another clone to destroy." The blond smiled as he created the unwilling sacrifice. "I will warn you; this attack is without a doubt as brutal as it looks." This did nothing to calm the clone down. Arashi turned to the clone. "Try to attack me head on like you usually do."

Both Naruto's eyes twitched in annoyance. As expected, the clone charged for Arashi, causing him to smirk. He performed a _small_ leap off the ground with his right knee quickly coming up. Arashi grabbed the clone by the back of his head and pulled him into the knee. Naruto gulped when the memories returned to him. "Note to self: never attack Oni-Arashi head on. You might literally loose your head."

"Unlike the previous move, this one is very simple. There will be no need to practice it until you start the combo training. Actually, each move except the first is this simple. The third comes from Kempo. The only complicated part is that you must strike directly over the heart and make sure to put your body into the attack. I am sure that you have learned something this simple."

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. "Of course I have. I just have to create clone for you to test it on, right. Shadow Clone Jutsu." Instead of one, two clones popped up.

"At least you were able to figure out that I would want one more clone to show you the last move. I guess you aren't a total lost case."

"HEY!"

"Now on to the attack." Arashi walked over to one of the clones and put his body into a single punch to the heart. "The main purpose of this attack is that it sends your target off balance. That is why it is the perfect set up for the last of the attacks, which is from Jujutsu." He walked over to the last remaining clone. "The easiest way to start the last attack by itself is to grab your opponent by their clothes and pull them forward. Make sure to use little effort." He did as he said to the clone. He pushed forward, forcing it to take a step back. As soon as this happened, Arashi ducked down and caught the clone's foot in his hands. The clone disappeared as soon as its head hit the ground. "After pulling on the person, suddenly push forward. Use the shift in the person's center of gravity to send them to the ground as you just saw."

Naruto gained an indifferent look. "Those two didn't look very impressive. Is this combo any strong? You did say that it came from four different styles. Are they really that good when put together."

Arashi merely smirked. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." The clone and the original faced each other. "Because the clone may disappear when hit, I will be the recipient." The clone stepped forward and punched Arashi in the face and sternum. This was instantly followed by the clone grabbing the back of his head and pulling him into the knee. As soon as he landed, he punched Arashi over the heart. The combo ended with the clone taking Arashi's foot and lifting. The end result was Arashi landing on the back of his neck. The clone wasn't done as it moved forward and placed a kunai at Arashi's neck.

Naruto watched the whole thing with wide eyes. "Now that I have seen the whole thing, it _is _brutal. I don't even think Bushy-Brow would be able to take all that very easily. There is also the added kunai. If this was a real fight, it would have been over as soon as the first punch hit."

"Judging by your expression, you are very impressed." The clone was gone and Arashi showed no signs of just receiving a brutal beating.

"H-how?"

Arashi chuckled. "Did you honestly think that I would have my clone attack me at full strength? The power it used should be around your power level." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Now for the combo. As you can see, the four different attacks blend together perfectly. If you master the first, the rest should be very easy. Speaking of which, you should have already mastered it. YOU CLONES CAN DISPERSE NOW!"

Every one of those clones disappeared at the command. The original creator lifted his hand and massaged the sides of his head. "So, is that all?"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu." Ten Arashi popped into existence. "I want you to practice on these clones for until you have this attack mastered to my desired standards. Once you do, we will move on."

* * *

**And some people complain about what Sakura does to Naruto for his ignorance. That doesn't really compare to what Arashi did.**

**PS: I don't know whether to be sorry for Naruto and Jiraiya for being targets, or happy that Arashi has let out all his stress. I have to say that Jiraiya was the funnier one.  
**

**Next Chapter: Hidden talent.**


	43. Hidden Talent: Chapter 43

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Before training Naruto, Arashi decided to end his tendency to call him Ero-Arashi. This consisted of a tree and interrupting Jiraiya's peeping. Now he is Oni-Arashi. After all of that, he finally taught Naruto his first attack. Now he is practicing the attack.)

* * *

"**Hidden Talent"**

In just two hours, Naruto mastered the four way combo to a level that Arashi found satisfactory. The man smiled as he looked at his newest student. "You have done very well today. Those Shadow Clones are very useful for most training. But they do have a weakness."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "Huh, what is that?"

"There are some jutsu that are dependent entirely upon the user's perception. Shadow Clones always have a different perspective from the original creator. If you get memories based on different perspectives of the world around, even if they are only slightly deferent, they will only set the training back."

Naruto crossed his arms and huffed. "What use is a jutsu like that? How powerful can something that only uses perception be?"

Arashi smirk. "I didn't say that the jutsu used only perception, but you are completely right in saying so. Perhaps you need a demonstration. Unfortunately, you are not strong enough to force me to use such a jutsu. Let's get someone who is strong enough to do that for me. Of course, that can only be Jiraiya."

Naruto took up an excited pose. "Does this mean that you and Ero-Sennin are going to let me watch you fight?

"Hai, that is right." He looked up with a questioning expression. "Although, now that I think about it. It would be best for us to do this tomorrow morning. Let's do something else in the meantime." Naruto glared at Arashi with an air of annoyance surrounding him. Arashi started waving his hand in an almost girlish way. "Don't be that way _Naruto-kun_."

That tone only annoyed him more. "I hate this man."

"We can continue on some more basics. The basics you were working on before really weren't that important. These next ones will be. These are the basic principles of each of the four fighting styles the attacks I taught you come from. Make sure that you put all these principles into the combo as well. It will greatly improve its effectiveness."

Naruto narrowed his eyes skeptically. "Are these principles really that important?"

"They are Naruto-kun. Didn't I tell you that you can't master a fighting style if you don't follow the rules that come with that style?"

The blonde's eyes twitched. "Fine."

Arashi smirked. "It's good that you understand this. Let's go with the usual order; Karate first." Arashi spread his legs a bit and put his arms at his side. He immediately punched with one of those hands. He started punching back and forth with each fist. "As you can see, if one arm is moving, the other is as well. That is not all either. If I show it in slow motion, you can see my fist twisting as soon as I reach the end of my punch. If you watch my other fist, it is turning at the exact same time. Complete synchronization of your arms and fist; that is the principle of Karate. I want you to create ten clones to practice this method of punching. I will of course leave a clone to watch over them."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You know… I am getting sick of creating all these clones."

Arashi smirked in a haughty way. "That is good. I want you to be annoyed by me."

An aura of annoyance surrounded Naruto once again. "He's not normal." He still created his clones as he was told. He then followed Arashi over to a tree.

"I am going to need another clone."

Naruto sighed. "Why do you always have _me_ creating clones?"

"The reason is because you have more chakra than even me, even though I have spent years increasing my maximum chakra in the perfect way. You also recover your charka at a faster rate." Arashi noticed Naruto getting overly proud. "It is also because you are the student and you must do as I say if you want my instruction." That bursted his bubbled.

After the clone was created, Arashi had the clone positioned so the tree was behind it and himself beside the tree. "What is it now?"

"Muay Tai of course. The principle of this style is more of a state of mind over an actual way of moving your body. This state of mind makes sense because Muay Tai was originally created to be a style to quickly kill your opponent." Arashi suddenly did a 180 and kicked the clone. He also took down the tree while he was at it. Naruto's mouth dropped. "Tell me what I attacked Naruto-kun."

He became annoyed again. "What kind of question was that? Of course, you attacked my clone."

"Wrong. I didn't attack your clone. I was actually aiming for the tree. The principle of Muay Tai is to not strike you target, but to strike through them. This is a perfect principle. It also isn't something you have to practice with clones. All you have to do is set you mind to want to punch through where you are aiming; even going as far as to aim behind your target."

Naruto blinked a bit. "Now that is a principle I understand. It shouldn't be that hard."

"You might as well create twenty more clones to practice the next two principles. The next one is Kempo." Arashi stepped out with his right foot and punched sent the same arm out. His left arm was next to his head. "When using Kempo, your punches must feel as if they are flying off of your shoulders. You must feel as if no matter how short your reach is, you will strike your target." Arashi created three clones. "Have ten of your clones doing this under my supervision."

"Hai Oni-Arashi." Naruto followed Arashi to another spot. "Why don't you just have me doing everything all at once?"

"Don't you know that all that extra experience at once can lead to a major headache? I am having you do everything a little at a time so that doesn't happen."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Everything he does makes no sense, yet he has it all figured out. What is with this guy?"

"Now, on to the last principle. I will demonstrate a Jujutsu chop." Arashi spread his finger and brought her hand over his head before bringing them down. Both elbows where locked straight. "This isn't as simple as it looks. You must be able to put all your body weight into the attack. You must feel as if you are swinging a sword." The remaining Shadow Clones moved away and started to practice.

"So, what are we doing next Oni-Arashi?"

Arashi looked up thoughtfully. He then suddenly fell backwards, landing on the grassy ground. "How about we rest while the clones are busy."

Naruto sweat-dropped. "Well, I don't really feel like thinking right now thanks to the clone training." Naruto fell to the ground and used his hands as a pillow. He then chuckled. "I feel like Shikamaru."

"Oh come on Naruto-kun. You only just now started lying down. You are certainly not that lazy."

He chuckled again before realizing what Arashi just said. "Wait, how do you know Shikamaru?"

"Did you forget where you first met me? I happened to know of the entire village's young shinobi by name." Arashi smirked. "That reminds me. Do you still have that crush on that Hinata girl?"

Naruto quickly sat up. "I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON HER!"

"Right~." He glanced at Naruto after rolling his eyes. "You seem to be blushing quite a lot. Are you sure you're not lying you yourself."

"SHUT UP!"

"You seem to like that outfit she gave you a lot."

He blushed even more. "I-it's useful. I never had something that can grow with me. It can also be fixed easily."

Arashi smirked. "Hai, clothing like that is very useful. I am glad that I invented it."

Naruto nodded at him for a second before his eyes widened. "You _made_ this?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. My own clothes can also change size and self-repair after getting damp and some chakra. I made it with shinobi in mind."

"Wait, does that mean that Hinata had to get the clothes from you."

"And who said you where a baka." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I actually gave that to Hinata to give to you."

"Oh… really."

"Is it just me, or do you sound disappointed. It is true that you were the intended recipient in the end, but I could have easily found you and give it myself. Hinata was more than willing to do it herself. She is such a kind girl. You would be crazy not to go after her."

"SHUT UP! IT IS NOT LIKE THAT!"

"If it is not, then why am I able to get such a reaction out of you?" Naruto finally settled for glaring at Arashi while suppressing his blush. Both of their eyelids twitched at the disappearance of thirty-three clones. "Well Naruto-kun. How about we test out your newest knowledge with a spar. I promise to hold back."

Naruto has never been irritated so repeatedly in it life before this day. "I am going to enjoy knocking him around." Naruto stood up and prepared himself to attack. "Aren't you going to get ready Oni-Arashi?"

"Nah… I am good as I am. Feel free to attack at any time." That condescending smirk served to egg Naruto on further. He ran for the prone man and sent a punch straight for his face. Arashi dodged at the last half-second and watched as Naruto's fist impacted the ground. The force of his blow created a five foot diameter crater and imbedded his fist deep into the ground. He yanked his fist out with relative ease. Arashi smirked at this. "As I expected. The training in Kumo transformed his body into a tightly packed ball of power. It is quite possible that his strength already surpasses that of Rock Lee. That punch would have certainly stung if it hit. There is also the way his emotions came out in what could have been overwhelming force for anyone else. He must have been trained to be a Do type fighter."

Arashi prepared himself as Naruto went in for the second attack. Every time a punch got close, Arashi deflected it away from his body with minimum effort. "Why can't I hit him?" Arashi created some distance and slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants. "WHAT'S THAT ABOUT?"

"I just want to show you a new move."

Naruto clenched his teeth and charged. Arashi moved over so that he was at Naruto's left side. As Arashi expected, Naruto tried to punch him. Arashi quickly used his elbow to deflect the blow before slamming it into Naruto's side. The blond fell over and clutched his ribs. "Wha… What was that?"

"It is quite simple Naruto-kun. The human ribs are resistant to attacks from the front. The same can't be said about the side. By the feel of things, I cracked two of your ribs. Just to let you know, if I changed the angle and increased the power, I could have broken your ribs in a way that would have made them pierce your heart. Why do you think I made sure to move to your left side?"

Naruto froze in place as his eyes widened. "I could be dead right now. All my dreams, my goals, my friends; they would have been gone."

"Do you still wish to continue? With your healing abilities, your ribs will be fine as soon as morning comes around." Naruto's response was to charge. Arashi only smirked. "It's time to see if he has a brain." As soon as Naruto was just about to reach the range of his arm, he whipped it through the air. The blow struck Naruto just below the chin. The blond started stumbling while holding his head. "What I just did is strike you in a way that would send a shockwave into your brain. It isn't fatal, but you will be disoriented for a moment. On the plus side, you have more trouble feeling pain."

Naruto tried to glare at the man, but he only fell on his back. Arashi sat down and crossed his legs. After sixty seconds, Naruto finally stood up. "I am going to get you for that." Arashi stood up and smirked. Naruto was already there and preparing his fists. "Let's see how you like this."

Arashi caught both of Naruto's fists before they hit his face and chest. "Didn't you forget that I taught you that? You should try coming up with something else." Arashi pushed him away.

This only served to annoy Naruto even further. His eyes switched from blue orbs, to dark red slits. His nails grew and sharpened along with his canines. His hair became wilder and the marks on his cheeks became larger. Thanks to his tiger designed outfit, he truly looked like a terrifying wild animal. "_I will GET YOU!_"

Arashi watched as the chakra began to bubble out of him. "I should stop this now." Arashi instantly appeared at Naruto's side while forming hand-seals. "Chakra Screen Jutsu." As intended, the jutsu completely impeded the flow of the chakra from the demon. "Good thing I did that now. Any later, and the demon's chakra could have been dense enough to block out my jutsu."

Naruto started panting as all his features returned to normal. "How…how did you do that?"

"It is a jutsu that I created myself. It forces any object to be unable to mold or control chakra. With this, I was able to suppress the way your seal was pulling out the demon's chakra without disrupting the seal itself."

"Can you teach me?"

"I can, but not now. We are still in the middle of a spar." Naruto smirked and punched for Arashi. He was already a distance away. "Try again Naruto-kun."

Naruto clenched his fist in concentration rather than frustration. "What am I going to do? The only attack he taught me is that combo. I have to come up with something." His eyes widened for a moment. "Wait… he also taught me those principles. Each of them increases the power of an attack in a different way. What if I use them all at the same time?"

Arashi smirked. "He seems to be thinking a lot. I wonder what he comes up with." Naruto ran forward and took up an attack stance. Arashi's eyes widened in surprise. "His killer intent; it changed. He just switched from Do to Sei. Not only that, but I know that stance." In his time of thought, Arashi let the punch that Naruto prepared hit him. He flew back a few feet before regaining his footing.

Naruto began jumping up and down. "ALRIGHT… I HIT HIM!"

Arashi smiled as he took in a deep breath to replace the air that was knocked out of him. "It isn't perfected, but there is no denying the strength of that punch. There is also how his killer intent changed. For him to be capable of something like that, it could mean only one thing."

Arashi walked forward and stood in front of Naruto as if nothing happened. "So, how was that?"

Arashi closed his eyes. "It was very impressive Naruto-kun. I doubt you even know what you just did." He opened his eyes to see Naruto looking at him curiously. "Just now, you did two things that are impressive for your age. First, you switched from Do type killer intent to Sei type. Even some master class fighters find doing such a thing impossible. Second, you just combined the four principles into one attack. By combining the basics, you are the second person to create the Mubyoshi."

"Mu-Mubyoshi. What is that?"

"It is the most powerful chakra-free punch that I have ever encountered. It is the powerful punch that I intended to teach you. For you to create such a thing in that short a time as well as changing your killer intent, it could only mean that you have a great amount of talent."

Naruto froze in place as the last of Arashi's words echoed in his head. Arashi started taping his fingers the moment Naruto's face went blank. After some time, he started jumping up and down. "ALRIGHT~, I HAVE TALENT! SOMEONE ACTUALLY SAID I HAVE TALENT!"

Arashi chuckled. "It took him exactly 73.3 seconds to react to me. This must be the first time that someone told him he had talent right to his face. That would explain why he is so happy. Time to burst a bit of that bubble. It is too bad that half of that talent is on how to take a beating and still keep ticking." Naruto canceled his little parade and let his arms hang at his sides. "No need to be like that Naruto-kun. Why don't we go back to the room? Tomorrow, you will get to see a fight of your lifetime."

Naruto's eyes widened. "That's right. Oni-Arashi is going to fight Ero-Sennin tomorrow. Wait a second. How are you going to get Ero-Sennin to fight you?"

Arashi snickered. "Let's just say that tomorrow is going to be pretty funny."

* * *

**After one more chapter, the second part will be just as long as the first. This story is insanely long. It is defiantly the longest story I will ever write.**

**Next Chapter: Master and Sage.**


	44. Master and Sage: Chapter 44

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." After the combo, Arashi explained a jutsu that he can only demonstrate against Jiraiya. Before this happens, Arashi plans to teach Naruto the most important basics. As Naruto's clones worked on those basics, Arashi started to tease him. Once that was over with, they spared. Arashi showed off some moves and even stopped a potential fox rampage. After that, it was discovered that Naruto had actual talent. With that done, they made their way back to their room.)

* * *

"**Master and Sage"**

Arashi woke up early in the morning like he usually does. He got out of his bed and went over to wake Naruto up. After a few tries, he finally woke up to a nice blow to the stomach. The blond sat up and started coughing. "What was … that for?"

"I needed you to be awake before Jiraiya was. Now, here is the plan." Arashi leaned over to Naruto's ears and started whispering. Once he was done, Naruto started snickering like a madman. "Remember; don't start the operation until I leave the room. Try to wake him up and get him ready to go as soon as possible. Loud complaints will be the signal. Don't ruin the plan by losing control over your emotions."

"Hai~; I understand." Naruto snickered again. "I feel like I'm back at my prankster days."

Arashi nodded and stood up. He walked over to where Jiraiya was sleeping and stuck his hand into the bag at his side. After some rummaging, he pulled out what he was after. "This will be fun."

As soon as he was out of the room, Naruto walked over to Jiraiya and started on trying to wake the man up. In the end, he decided on the same method that Arashi used. Jiraiya sat up coughing the same way Naruto did. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR NARUTO?"

The blond decided to pull something from Arashi's book. "I felt like waking you up."

Jiraiya's eye twitched. "Don't you have Arashi to keep you busy?"

"He's not here right now."

"Where did he go?"

"Bathroom."

"That means that he will be out anytime soon. Why do you need to bother me?"

"Because he took your research book with him."

"Oh~~~." Jiraiya snickered. "It turns out that he does~ understand the efforts I put into my research. After all this time, he tried to hide it. In the end, all real men succumb to the Ero-side."

"WHY ARE ALL~ MY SENSEI PERVERTS?"

This yelling was soon followed by the sound of flushing. Jiraiya smirked as Arashi walked into the room holding his notebook. "So~, tell me. Did you enjoy what I had?"

Arashi shrugged. "Honestly, no. Everything you had in this book was fairly boring. On top of all that, the bathroom was out of toilet paper. Good thing I know a jutsu that can soften regular paper to match toilet paper." Arashi tossed the notebook over to the blank-faced Jiraiya.

Jiraiya immediately caught the notebook and blanched at it being lighter than before. He opened it up and noticed that a number of the paper that had the research he was collecting over the months was gone. "MY BEAUTIFUL RESEARCH!" He ran out of the room and straight for the bathroom.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Arashi were snickering like crazy with the same thoughts in their heads. "This is priceless."

Jiraiya came through the door while giving Arashi an 'if looks could kill' glare. In his right hand was his notebook. His left hand had a bunch of paper. His appearance only served to make Naruto and Arashi laugh harder. "They were in this together. How am I supposed to work with Naruto in pranking Arashi when he gets pulled into playing part in his pranks? Would it kill him to show some loyalty? ENOUGH~!" Naruto stopped laughing but Arashi became even louder. "Keep laughing and I'll beat you all the way back to Konoha."

_That_ shut Arashi's laughter up. "So you want to fight huh? Now that sounds interesting. As someone who is master class in martial combat, I am always looking for someone strong enough to test out my skills. I want to see how strong you are."

"I am not going to fight you to suit your fancy."

"Then I am sure that you won't mind if I interrupt every one of your research sessions until you do fight me. No matter where we go, not a single woman will use the springs. This is my promise to you."

Jiraiya clenched his teeth. If that is what you want, then fine. Well have this little fight of yours. Just don't expect me to hold back."

Arashi stood up and donned a wide grin. His eyes shone like blue tinted flashlights. "I wouldn't have it any other way." His laugh sent a shiver down Naruto's spine.

Both Arashi and Jiraiya went over to the balcony and jumped out of it. Naruto followed as quickly as his could. "This fight is going to be awesome."

When he arrived at the same field as before, Arashi and Jiraiya were staring each other down with grins on their faces. "Well Arashi… this is a pretty nice field that we are fighting in. It is too bad that it will get torn up."

"Don't worry about that Jiraiya. Everything will be cleaned up because I plan on wiping the earth with you."

"Well, you know how to taunt. I wonder if you know how to fight."

"You can tell me after you wake up next week."

"Let's cut the chatter and just get to the part where you are begging for my forgiveness. I may just grant it."

"Well, I do have a comeback, but we may end up trying to get in the last word for the whole day. Time to fight."

Jiraiya's smirk grew. "Agreed." They moved in for the start of a taijutsu bout. Jiraiya launched numerous attacks at Arashi, but he simply dodged them or deflected them away from himself. As time passed, Jiraiya began to get closer and closer to hitting Arashi. "He's not so tough."

The single spectator looked on with confusion. "What's going on? Why is Oni-Arashi having so much trouble? At this rate, Ero-Sennin will hit him in a minute."

Arashi smirked as he continued deflecting the man's barrage of attacks. "I can't believe that they haven't realized it yet. Their taijutsu skills truly are second rate."

The progress that Jiraiya was making quickly came to a halt just when be would be able to hit Arashi. He continued to attack for a few more moments before backing off. "You're pretty lucky. If I got any closer, I would have hit you."

"Who's the amateur here; me or you? A person being able to defect so many attacks on just luck is an impossible feat. I am very skilled in learning the rhythm of my opponents. No matter how you attack, I will avoid it perfectly."

"You're pretty confident in yourself. Don't you know that overconfidence leads to defeat?"

"You mistake overconfidence for certainty. Making such mistakes with me is dangerous."

Jiraiya smirked before running through some hand-seals. "Toad Oil Bullet." Six globs of oil fired from Arashi at high speed.

"Seikūken." Using only minimum movement, Arashi dodged them all. He leapt to the side to avoid the one going for his feet. He balanced himself on his head and formed hand-seals. "Water Style, Fluid Fingers." Arashi dipped his fingers into the oil on the ground. He fell to his feet and lifted his hand which had long thin whips of oil attached. They moved in a controlled manner and dipped into the other five oil puddles. Now all the oil was attached to Arashi's left fingers.

Jiraiya went through more hand seals. "Fire Style: Flame Bombs." He let out another glob of oil before instantly igniting it. Arashi sailed over the attack and struck the fireball with the tips of his whips. Just before the flames reached him, Arashi released the oil to Jiraiya. He back-flipped and found Arashi gone when he landed. "Where did he go?" He was sent forward by a powerful blow from behind. He rolled on the ground before rising to his feet. He looked around for Arashi only to receive another blow from behind. He formed some more hand-seals. "Barrier: Dome Method Formation." Using his chakra, Jiraiya created a large sensory field around himself. He turned his head and jumped before receiving another attack. "So that is it. He uses high speed to stay in my blind spots no matter how quickly I looked. That won't work now."

"That jutsu is pretty similar to the Seikūken. It certainly allows you to cover a larger area. It is still inferior though."

Jiraiya smirked. "You're annoying. Don't belittle jutsu used by the great Toad Sage."

Arashi smirked. "Then let me display a true sensory jutsu; the Streaming Seikūken." The air around Arashi completely changed. His expression became as dead as that of a corpse.

Jiraiya clenched his teeth. "Something tells me that I shouldn't hold back anything against him now." Jiraiya charged and tossed some shuriken. Arashi caught two of them in each of his index fingers and deflected the rest.

The pervert tried to punch Arashi's midsection, but the master moved over and used his hand to aid in deflection. He also sent a punch for Jiraiya's left chest, stopping just over an inch before connecting. "Be more careful."

Jiraiya griped his right arm a blood trickled out. "He not only deflected my punch, but he also used that shuriken to injure me. There is also when he punched me. If he struck me with his fist, I would be dead right now from the other shuriken." He chuckled. "This is the third time that I could have died. The difference is that I don't have any serious injuries this time around."

"That is one Jiraiya."

Jiraiya smirked as he ran through more hand-seals. "Earth Style: Dark Swamp." Just as Jiraiya slammed his hands on the ground, Arashi leapt to the side and just stood there. The swamp continued to spread out, stopping just a millimeter before reaching Arashi's foot. "How in the? It is almost he knew how far the swamp would spread. I have nowhere near enough control to adjust the swamp's size by the distance he avoided it by. He predicted it perfectly." Because of his thoughts, he didn't realize that Arashi was right in front of him.

Jiraiya quickly jumped away. "This is two. You should be more careful."

The sage's eyes widened as he brought his hand up to his neck. It barely broke the skin, but there was still a cut along his neck. "I can't believe it. His hand was already where my neck would be before I even started to dodge. Not only that, but this guy is actually counting the number of times he could kill me. He doesn't even consider me a challenge. To think that one of the Sennin is being played with. I won't let this continue. Five minutes should be enough. Good thing there aren't any ladies around to see this."

Both Naruto and Arashi watched at Jiraiya sat on the ground and became perfectly still. "What is Ero-Sennin doing? Just because he is getting his but kicked, doesn't mean that he should be giving up."

Arashi allowed himself to relaxed and for his Streaming Seikūken to fade. He smiled at what was before him. "This is interesting. The chakra in his body is starting to behave strangely. It is like it is becoming something else. Because of what he is doing, I am finding it harder to see his chakra. I have never seen anything like it before."

They continued watching as Jiraiya's physical features changed. His nose enlarged and dark warts grew on it as his teeth took on a jagged shape. The red lines under his eyes branched out and formed a single rectangle. His hands changed in shape and developed webbing between the fingers. He hunched over as his back seems to change in shape as well. Knowing that Jiraiya wouldn't do such a thing without reason, Arashi reactivated his Streaming Seikūken. Jiraiya looked up and narrowed his eyes. He then started performing a kabuki dance. "Time for me~ to show you what the Gallant~ Jiraiya~ can really do. Watch out because here~ I~ come.~"

Jiraiya charged forward to the emotionless Arashi. The taijutsu master made sure to maintain complete eye contact. For every dodge before now, Arashi only used minimum movement, avoiding the attack by only a millimeter. He dodged with far greater distance this time. "Strange. Not only has his chakra become nearly non-existent to me, but his state of mind has change as well. Even though he knew his fist would miss, he still felt that I would feel a blow." Arashi locked eyes with Jiraiya once again. "I can see frustration in his eyes. He expected me to be hit by some secondary force. I can tell by how the wind moved around me."

Jiraiya clenched his teeth. "What is with this guy? Even with the way my nature chakra is increasing my attack range, he is still dodging by the slimmest of margins. Is it possible that he can see it?"

Naruto looked on at this fight with falling interest. "I thought this fight would be amazing. These two are just staring at each other. Is this fight ever going to pick up?"

Jiraiya soon changed his expression to a smirk. "I'm not going to figure out his secret by just standing here." Jiraiya tried for his second charge.

Arashi remained expressionless. "So he wants to try for close combat. I have to be careful of whatever is increasing his reach."

A field of power surrounded the two as they tried to exchange blows. Because Arashi was putting more effort into avoiding Jiraiya's attacks, he couldn't use the time he would normally have to launch effective counters. The accuracy and speed of Arashi's evasion made it so Jiraiya couldn't get a hit in. It was a true stalemate. Jiraiya ducked forward and reached his arm around Arashi as he tried to dodge. Arashi could only back flip to dodge the next punch. Jiraiya pressed his advantage and punched for Arashi before he could land. The power that the sage possessed was revealed when Arashi rocketed back while blocking the punch with both hands. Naruto's eyes widened when he saw this. "Since when are Ero-Sennin's punches _that_ strong."

Arashi let gravity pull him down and slid to a stop. "His power is about mid-master class. He is defiantly a potential danger." Arashi walked forward as Jiraiya charged again at speeds Naruto couldn't follow.

The sage leapt to the air and began forming hand-seals. "Fire Style: GIANT FIRE BLAST!" He fired a much larger ball of ignited oil at Arashi. He also leapt into the air. Jiraiya was prepared for this though. He leaned forward and started on some more seals. "Hermit's Art: Hair Needle Barrage." His hair fired from his head at an amazing speed.

Arashi watched the flurry of senbon like hairs with his emotionless eyes. "A stream intending to go straight through me. This is why it is called the Streaming Seikūken." Both Naruto and Jiraiya watched as Arashi's hands moved at an untraceable speed. As if with extreme ease, he deflected each of the hairs far enough away to avoid damage. If a civilian were watching it would look like the senbon were flowing around him.

For Naruto, everything was too fast to even see a blur. "Now _this_ is cool."

When both landed, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "What was that? Every needle that I saw him deflect didn't lose even the slightest bit of speed. It reminds me of a rock that just sits there, letting a stream pass by it. Arashi _is _that rock."

When Jiraiya landed on the ground, he maintained his attack. Arashi landed and began walking towards the toad. He showed no emotion to the fact that a single slip up could end with him being impaled all over. The jutsu was finally canceled when Arashi closed half the distance. They were at each other's face in the next instant. "Gungnir."

Jiraiya was caught off guard by the open palm strikes. Even with the strength and speed that came with sage mode, he was completely at Arashi's mercy. He suddenly stopped. Jiraiya saw him hunch over with his hands at his sides. "That stance looks dangerous. I have to get him away. I don't have the time for something big." Jiraiya launched his own open palm strike. "Rasengan."

"Mubyoshi." The two blows connected at the same moment. Both combatants flew back from the force, tilling the earth with their bodies. With a separating distance of about 250 meters, they rested in a crater unmoving. Over a minute passed before both sat up. They were panting heavily and bruised. A grin grew on Arashi's face before he started laughing loudly. Jiraiya joined him.

Naruto started trembling. "I can't believe that I have these two training me." He couldn't decide if he should go for Jiraiya who was able to increase his own power like that, or for Arashi who demonstrated inhuman speed and skill. He decided to create a shadow clone.

**Jiraiya.**

Now that he was outside of sage mode, he was exhausted. That is one of the negative side effects. He looked up to see two Naruto; one for each of them. "Naruto must have created that shadow clone and sent it to Arashi so he can talk to us both." He developed a big smile when Naruto reached him. "What do you~ think Naruto? Seeing the Gallant~ Jiraiya giving his all must be a sight to behold. I'm a little jealous of you having the honor of watching me fight."

Naruto's expression blanked for a moment before becoming excited. "How do you do that toad change thing Ero-Sennin?"

"That Naruto~, is something that you are fifteen years too young to learn yet."

The blond crossed his arms and pouted. "You never teach me anything good."

Jiraiya's eyes twitched. "Crap, that match made me forget that Naruto was watching. I hope I can get him off the idea. Listen, sage mode is very difficult to learn. If you mess up even once during training, you will die. Do you understand me Naruto?"

Naruto continued pouting as he looked to the side. "Fine. I am going to get you to teach it to me eventually." He burst in a puff of smoke.

Jiraiya was instantly annoyed. "He sent me~ the clone."

**Arashi.**

After sitting up, Arashi rubbed where Jiraiya hit him. "That Rasengan was weakened because of my Mubyoshi. My Mubyoshi was weakened because of the Rasengan. That is good because I don't think we should damage ourselves too much." The master looked up and saw two Naruto split up and head for him and Jiraiya. "Typical Naruto. He is looking to learn as much as possible from each of his teachers. This should be good."

"Hey, hey, Oni-Arashi. You were awesome. It's like you knew where Ero-Sennin's attacks would be. Are you going to teach me how you do that?"

"Hai, I am; or at least part of it."

Naruto pouted. "Why only part?"

"It is because of your personality. You may have great difficulty learning the more advanced Streaming Seikūken because of the way you usually behave. It isn't really something you can change about yourself either. You can still learn the primary Seikūken though. This alone will bring your taijutsu skills to a new level. Who knows… you may be able to surprise me and develop the Streaming Seikūken yourself from the primary form."

Naruto smiled widely. "When are you going to start teaching me?"

Arashi looked up thoughtfully. "I'm pretty tired right now. How about after I take a nap in the shade. I usually don't sleep for any more than two hours. But~, if you wake me, I won't teach it at all."

Naruto glared for a second before switching to an annoyed expression. Arashi looked and saw that the other Naruto was gone. "Alright, but you better start teaching me as soon as you wake up."

"Sure thing Naruto-kun." He flipped to his feet and made his way to the nearest tree. Before he sat down, he pulled out a small pill and ate it.

* * *

**I think I have prolonged the training chapters long enough. Even though I say this, it may take a while before they are finished. This story is ridiculously long.**

**Next Chapter: Coincidence.**


	45. Coincidence: Chapter 45

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Arashi wakes Naruto up and plans a little prank with him that involves tricking Jiraiya into thinking that his research joined the rest of the sewage. This led to Arashi being able to coax Jiraiya into a fight. They started out with a few normal taijutsu and ninjutsu before Arashi stepped up. This was able to convince Jiraiya to go into a temporary sage mode. They fought until they hit each other at the same time. After that, Naruto tried to talk to each about the abilities they used. Arashi is the one he is learning something from.")

**

* * *

**

"**Coincidence"**

Arashi's eyes opened as he looked up at the sunlight filtering through the leaves above him. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "And I was hoping that I would sleep through the day. Looks like I have to hold true to my promise to Naruto-kun. Here he comes."

Sure enough, Naruto was running right for Arashi. He stopped in front of him and started bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Are you going to teach me now?"

Arashi let out a sigh. "Can't go back on a promise, now can't I." With complete silence, Arashi pushed himself to his feet, walked a thirty meter distance into a clear field, and ran through hand-seals. He ended the silence by finishing. "Earth Style: Construction." The ground around him formed a large doughnut that was hallowed out and without the top half. It had a fifteen meter diameter between the outer edges and a nine meter diameter between the inner edges. It was also two-thirds a meter tall. He started up some more hand-seals. "Wind Style: Condensation." Cool air surrounded a large area. It soon collected and filled the doughnut three-quarters full. He walked the short distance to one of the inner edges and started up some more hand-seals. "Earth Style: New Life." He bent down and placed his hands on the ground. After a few seconds, small stone fish jumped out of the ground and into the water. The number rose to nearly one hundred.

Naruto looked on at the elaborate setup with widening eyes. "How cool~? What kind of training is this?"

Arashi stood up and fixed his serious gaze on Naruto's eyes. "You will be catching these fish."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "That's all."

Arashi shrugged his shoulders. "_What_, you never dealt with a training method that didn't look like much but was still very difficult." The blond pouted. "Thought so. Let's get started. Get into the water. Don't stand on it." Naruto grumbled as he took off his clothes and tossing them to the ground. He walked over to the doughnut and hopped in. The water reached just over his knees. Arashi examined Naruto's body closely. "Just as I expected. The training that he has received has transformed his body. I'm sure that he would simply look slender normally, but now his muscles are quite profound thanks to the training he underwent in Kumo. Most would think that body would slow him down. I know better."

Naruto looked down at the small stone fish as they swim through the water. He then glared at Arashi. "Catching these won't be a challenge."

"I'm not finished yet." He started up one last set of hand-seals. "Water Style: Flowing Rapids." The water suddenly began moving at high speed. This speed increased the speed of the fish greatly. "Let me set up a few rules that you can't break Naruto-kun. First, you must be facing upstream when catching the fish. Second, you must use only one hand at a time. The third is that you can't crush one in the process of catching it. They are very hollow so they can manage to be fast."

Naruto smirked. "Easy." He tried to capture a passing fish, only for it to dodge his hand just as his hand touched the water. He clenched his teeth. "These rocks for fish are fast."

"Don't be surprised Naruto-kun. Those fish are even faster than real ones and have a faster reaction time. They have to be for a shinobi to learn the technique I plan on teaching you. It will take a while for you to learn it."

Naruto clenched his teeth. "That is what you think." He crossed his fingers in a very familiar hand-seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." A number of extra Naruto filled the doughnut. "ALRIGHT GUYS~, TIME TO GET THIS." The clones cheered at they raised their hands.

Arashi simply sighed as he maintained the chakra flow. "This kid just doesn't know how to listen. That doesn't matter in the end. This will only prolong the training. I'm in no hurry. The only reason I told him the numbers of clones he should make is so that he doesn't overdo it and have to deal with the mental strain after the clones return. I couldn't care if this takes a few months or a few days."

All of the Naruto began dipping their hands into the water at fast speeds. The time began to pass by quickly as each one started getting closer and closer. After over an hour; a clone to Arashi's right raised his right fist into the air. "I GOT ONE!" When he opened that fist, the fish was rubble. The other Naruto blanched, with the original the first to recover. "Just disappear so we can all get closer to figuring this out." The clone saluted before puffing away. The Naruto all began to pull on all the experiences of that one clone. The angle, timing, and speed were all pulled on. All their hands dove into the water. All of their eyes widened.

Arashi smirked from his position. "I am going to let myself have some fun watching Naruto struggle with figuring out this training. I wonder when he will remember what I told him. Right now, he must be trembling at how that clone's personal experience widened the distance between their hands and the fish. I specifically designed this ring to have slightly different currents in different spots. The current even changes in a fixed spot. They are also coming in at many different angles. These alternating currents and positions change how the fish perceive the world around them. As such, they will always dodge differently. This is a good way to teach the Seikūken to a shinobi who already has heightened senses. Unfortunately, we don't have the time to do this all day every day. I don't have the chakra for maintaining the flow of this water. I also have to add in how those fish as absorbing the chakra in the water to keep moving. I won't last three hours tomorrow after I rest. In thirty seconds, I'm going to reach the limit of my free chakra." Arashi's smirk only grew wider. "I have just the remedy for the situation."

Just as Arashi's thoughts predicted, the flow of chakra stopped. Once that happened, all of the blonds were able to catch a fish, but they still broke. "YATTA~~!" The clones disappeared and Naruto turned to Arashi with a gloating expression. "_And_ you said that this wouldn't be easy. We all just got a lot closer."

Arashi masked all his emotions with a smile. "I don't care if he has taijutsu talent… this brat is a true baka. He didn't even notice that the water flow stopped. I give up on teaching him by telling him his mistakes. He is going to have to learn from those mistakes the hard way. Alright Naruto-kun, I hope that you won't mind testing out learning this skill tomorrow. I would continue today, but I am running low on chakra and it is getting late. Let's get back to the room and get some rest."

Naruto watched Arashi as he slowly stood up and began running back to the village. "Looks like this is pretty hard on him. I guess that he doesn't have all the chakra that I do. He won't have to do it long tomorrow anyways."

Morning came as Arashi woke from his slumber. Outside of his usual behavior, he remained in his bed. "Using all my chakra that quickly is exhausting. I have always preferred using it up slowly." Arashi simply rested in his bed as he waited.

The next person to wake up was Jiraiya. The white haired man stood up and walked over to Arashi. "You should seal up your stuff. We are leaving this village as soon as the brat wakes up."

Arashi turned his eyes to Jiraiya. "Well that is annoying. I guess that I can't expect that I can train Naruto at my pace like I did with Hinata. I understand. I might as well get started." He flipped himself to his feet and pulled out his scrolls. After a few quick hand-seals, his stuff disappeared into those scrolls. He unsealed a large bag.

Jiraiya looked at this bag with a questioning expression. "What is that for?"

"I want to leave as soon as possible, so I am going to carry Naruto-kun's stuff."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "Naruto doesn't have enough luggage to warrant a bag that big. What could you need that for?"

"I don't feel like waiting for Naruto-kun to wake up either."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

**Fifteen minutes later.**

The group ran at high speed out of the village. Jiraiya continued chuckling endlessly as they ran. "You really don't have any respect for other people, don't you Arashi? Don't you think that this is a bit much?"

He looked over to Arashi. The man's eyes were hazel at the time. He carried Naruto's things over his right shoulder and the large bag with something inside over his left shoulder. Arashi chuckled. "That is why it is funny."

Jiraiya let out three loud laughs. "I have to say that this is true, but what are we going to do when he wakes up."

"We are going to keep going and stay quiet. I'm sure his reaction will be great. We can use it to laugh at him for a while."

The sage snickered. "Gotcha… let's keep quite so that he doesn't notice that it is us."

The pair continued running for about an hour before the contents of the bag began to move. It started by happening occasionally but became more frequent. At a moments notice, the contents began moving around endlessly. "WHAT'S THIS? WHY AM I IN A BAG? WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? I HAVE TO GET OUT! Kunai, kunai, where's my kunai? I DON'T HAVE ANY! How about the Rasengan? NOT ENOUGH ROOM~! THAT'S IT… I'LL JUST DO WHAT I DID WHEN THAT SNAKE ATE ME!" Arashi rapidly tied off the top of the bag and tossed it high into the air. "MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

As the explosion of Naruto clones flew through the air, Jiraiya looked at Arashi with a blank expression. "Why did you tie off the bag before throwing it into the air?"

"I wanted to see the bag rip apart from the clones. That couldn't happen if he fell out. I also like seeing him fly."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at Arashi. "I would be laughing if he didn't say that so~ naturally. It is almost the same kind of creepy that I know that my old teammate is capable of. He seems to do things just for the heck of it."

"WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?" This was the combined voices of twenty Naruto, all pointing at the obvious culprit.

Arashi clapped his hands and smiled widely. "Good, you are awake. Now I can teach that jutsu I was planning on teaching you."

"REALLY?" All the Naruto shared the same excited pose. They then dropped their arms and blinked a few times. "Wait, what about the fish thing."

Arashi waved his hands dismissively. "We will start up on that after you learn this jutsu."

"Awesome, what kind of jutsu is it? Will I be able to take on an army of supper strong shinobi with it?"

Arashi laughed at him. "You really have a one track mind. I never said that I will be teaching you anything like that. I am just teaching you a support jutsu. For someone with as much chakra as you, it is great for helping you allies. It is virtually like medical jutsu without the need for perfect control. The jutsu is exactly as its name suggests; Chakra Transfer Jutsu."

Naruto frowned a bit. "So I can give my allies my chakra. I don't really know how helpful that will be."

Arashi chuckled. "That is very easy to explain through a hypothetical situation. You are in a team of three shinobi that just went though a tough battle. Because of your large reserves of chakra, you are the only one with any chakra left. The big problem is that one of your other team members is injured badly enough to die. The third member is skilled enough to perform the medical jutsu that can save this person, but is out of chakra like I said. With the Chakra Transfer Jutsu, you can restore the medic's chakra and save the other's life in the process."

Naruto sat down and crossed his arms in though. "I guess that I can understand why I should learn this, but why are you teaching me this now?"

Arashi laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "That is actually very simple. It has to do with the fish training. With the making the container, collecting the water, forming the fish, and keeping the water moving at all times, it uses up a tremendous amount of chakra. I am teaching you this jutsu so you can give me your chakra and let me prolong the training."

"Oh~, I get it. Even though you are crazy, you are still pretty smart Oni-Arashi. How long is this going to take?"

"Less than a minute without Shadow Clones. The jutsu is ridiculously simple. All you have to do is perform the hand-seals and direct your chakra to the fingers you plan on touching them with. Just so you know; it is most effective to touch the person on the forehead. That way, the lowest amount of chakra is wasted. Let me show you the hand-seals."

Arashi's hands slowly performed a series of eight seals. Naruto carefully watched each one and performed them along the way. After finishing them, Naruto focused his chakra to his right finger tips. "I can't tell Oni-Arashi; did I do it right?"

Arashi nodded. "Hai, you did. You could stand to pull back the amount of chakra you have in your fingers. If the person we are talking about is me, then that amount is no problem; but if you try that with someone with relatively low chakra levels, their chakra systems may be damaged by having too much chakra in them. There is also one thing I have to warn you about." Both Naruto and Jiraiya looked at him from Arashi's sudden seriousness. "It is about the chakra of the Kyūbi. If you ever used the Chakra Transfer Jutsu when there is even the slightest amount of that demon's chakra in use, you may end up poisoning the other person with it. At the very worst, they can die."

Naruto's opened a bit and his eyes widened before he looked to the side. "I see."

Arashi smiled widely. "No need to be depressed Naruto-kun. You just have to make sure to not use this jutsu when you even feel the slightest amount of chakra from the demon flowing through you. Certainly you learned how to better sense the chakra inside you while in Kumo."

Naruto continued looking depressed. "Hai, but the fur-ball doesn't make things easy for me. He still takes advantage every chance he gets."

"Hum~, that _is_ a problem. Perhaps learning the Seikūken will allow you to gain a greater level of control over your emotions."

Jiraiya suddenly cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt, but shouldn't we get moving already? We are supposed to be at the next village tomorrow."

Arashi suddenly went over to Jiraiya and dropped to his knees. His hands were clasped together as he looked up at the sage. His lower lip was puffed out a bit in a subtle pout. The way those blue eyes shimmered along with the instantly created tears topped of the very powerful puppy-dog-pout. "Tawaiya, can we pwease~ twain." Naruto appeared right next to him while giving Jiraiya the very same look.

His mouth dropped in response. "This can't be seriously happening. Two grown _men_ are giving me _this_ pout. I don't know if I should cave or laugh." Jiraiya settled for a third option by walking over to the nearest tree and slamming his forehead against it repeatedly.

Arashi stood up and clapped his hands. "That seems to be settled. Let's continue that training from yesterday. I'll expect you to fail in catching the fish."

Naruto huffed. "That's what you think." They moved over a short distance to the east and prepared for the training.

**Exactly five miles to the east.**

There was very old looking man just standing in an empty area. The only light was a bright red light coming from his right arm. He turned his dark eyes to this as the light faded an instant later. "That is strange. If things went to plan, then this would have happened about a year later. Both of them should have lit up as well. It must be a coincidence. Perhaps I should check this out."

* * *

**At least I finally gave my readers something to actually think about this chapter. Can anyone remember where this could come from?**

**Next Chapter: Udekazari.**


	46. Udekazari: Chapter 46

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Arashi wakes from his nap and sets up Naruto's training as promised. Naruto started using Shadow Clones in an attempt to speed the training. Arashi continues thinking on how that will make it harder on Naruto. On the next morning, they leave the village with Naruto as luggage. Once again, Arashi manages to change the subject to teaching Naruto some more. As this happens, an old man to the east reacts to their presence.)

* * *

"**Udekazari"**

Naruto took off his clothes and jumped into the water filled doughnut. Arashi glanced at Naruto's and slowly went through some hand-seals. "Remember Naruto-kun, don't go off creating clones. We will need the extra chakra so we can maintain your training. Earth Style: New Life." Like before, a number of stone fish popped out of the ground and into the water, though it was only about a fifth of the last time. Arashi moved to the outside of the shape and to Naruto's backside. "Remember that you have to be facing upstream."

"Hai, I gotcha Oni-Arashi."

He started up the last string of hand-seals. "Water Style: Flowing Rapids." His chakra flowed into the water and forced it to start moving at high speed. The stone fish began swimming with the water flow. Arashi smirked as Naruto prepared to catch one. "I know he is going to get frustrated." He looked back at the old man scowling at them. "Come over here Jiraiya. I have to have a simple talk with you. Don't even ask Naruto-kun."

The blond pouted at how Arashi interrupted his question as Jiraiya walked over to Arashi. "So what do you want?"

"Come down here first. I want to make sure that Naruto-kun doesn't hear me. Stay right there Naruto-kun."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "How does he know what I am doing all the time?" He turned his head to look at the two as Arashi whispered into Jiraiya's ears. Only a second passed before he was finished talking.

Arashi glared at Naruto. "What are you doing wasting time? While you are staring off in space, I am using up my chakra so you can train. Training is what you should be doing right now."

Naruto only smirked. "This won't take long anyways." He turned back upstream and prepared to catch a fish. "Now!" The fish he aimed for was half a foot away when his hand reached where he thought it would be. "WHAT THE; HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"

"There are actually a bunch of reasons for your failure right now. First, there are a lot less fish. This gives the ones remaining a lot more room. Second, the only reason you and all your clones were able to catch a fish yesterday is because I ran out of chakra and the water flow slowed. How this made the fish easier to catch is a bit complicated to explain. Part of it is how they absorb the chakra to improve how they see the world around them. If you don't get that hit, I'm leaving. I really don't want to teach that much of a baka." He let out a sigh of relief went Naruto froze as if he started thinking really hard. "Thank goodness."

Naruto turned to Arashi, who decided to cancel the flow of chakra. "Is this what you were talking about when you told me that will teach me something about my perspective?"

"Hai, it is Naruto-kun. Now what does that say about continuing this training?"

"That is _why_ getting the experience from the clones will only make it harder." He glared at Arashi. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He held up one finger. "One, I have already told you about how the conflicting perspectives of multiple clones can make it harder to learn any technique that depends on perspective… multiple times I might add." He stuck up one more finger. "Two, and most importantly, I'm in no hurry."

The blond prepared to yell, but a smirk took over. "Then why did you give me that hint."

"I'm bored of you and want any excuse to say that you are too stupid to put the talent you have to use."

"HOW ARE YOU GETTING BORED WITH ALL YOUR JOKES?"

"You are easy to control. No matter what I do or say, I can always guess what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. You haven't made any progress in getting used to me. Honestly, it is boring how I never have to come up with new ways to annoy you or calm you down." He developed a happy informing expression. "Having to come up with new methods is over half the fun. He is going to narrow his eyes."

"That is stupid Oni-Arashi."

"To each his own Naruto-kun. You are just boring. Now get back to your training before I leave your training unfinished. Now he is going to snort and continue." Arashi started pumping his chakra into the water before chuckling suddenly. "I just remember how Naruto-kun is called Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Shinobi, yet I call him predictable to a boring level. Maybe it is because I am also unpredictable in my own way."

Arashi then noticed a figure coming out of a forest a mile away to the east. Jiraiya also noticed the figure. Even with the great distance, Arashi was very capable of picking out the details of this figure. It was a very old male who had short grey and spiky hair with a long mustache that came down past his chest. He wore a bracelet one each wrist, one blue and the other red. His eyes showed overwhelming wisdom and kindness. Arashi noticed this and refocused his attention to Naruto. Jiraiya continued to be suspicious of how the man was making a beeline for them. "I think I should go and check him out. It is not everyday that an old man walks out of the forest like that."

Jiraiya reached him about a quarter mile away from where Naruto and Arashi were. The old man focused his intense brown eyes upon the sage. "You are Jiraiya-sama I presume. It is an unexpected pleasure to meet you under such random circumstances, but a pleasure neither less."

Jiraiya only granted the man a serious expression. "How do you know my name? No matter how I look at it, this man looks like a hermit. Even with how famous I am, he shouldn't be able to recognize me by my appearance."

The man looked down calmly. "I see. You have no reason to show me any trust. Even with my frail form, there is no way of discerning what I am capable of. I will say that you have nothing to fear from me."

"I asked how you know my name."

"My apologies. I have been mistrusted before, and I tend to talk about it when it happens. I guess that I am simply longwinded." Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "I know you simply because I can recognize those who played a big part in the war between Iwa and Konoha. This includes yourself as well."

"I am going to have to tell you to return to where you were."

"I simply wish to learn of that boy. He has an uncanny resemblance to the Yellow Flash. Judging by the ages, it is reasonable to say that they are father and son. I would actually like to ask how the boy's father is doing right now."

The expression of surprise that Jiraiya developed became a sad one. "He became the Hokage, but died only shortly after his inauguration." The sage's eyes widened for a moment. "That said; Minato was not Naruto's father. All resemblances between the two are purely by coincidence."

The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So…Naruto is the name of the boy. It certainly flows well with his sur name."

Now Jiraiya displayed annoyance. "Didn't you hear me? Naruto is not Minato's son. I should know considering that I was Minato's sensei. If he got a girl pregnant, I would find out and never stop bugging him about it."

"You are making great effort into making the truth out to be false. That is understandable with how Minato-sama must have greatly increased his number of enemies simply by becoming a Kage. I doubt the son would have survived without the father's protection. This secret is secure within my mind. If I am right, revealing this information will only hinder my goals. I wonder what his sur name actually is. It could very well be the one of the wife."

The sage crossed his arms. "And what are those goals?"

"I have told Minato-sama of parts of my goals. If he has not told them to you, then he must not feel as if you need to know; or that doing so was unnecessary."

"That's enough old man. I want you to start talking." Jiraiya started on poking the man on the chest, only for him to go bug-eyed when his finger passed through the man. "Genjutsu!" Jiraiya formed the required hand-seal and focused on trying to stop his chakra. Even with success, the man didn't disappear.

"I'm afraid that you are mistaken Jiraiya-sama. The contact that you failed to experience with me truly occurred. Would you please let me by? I think it rude to travel through others, but will when required." The man performed a small bow in respect.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists in frustration. "This is too strange. I can't let this man make a fool out of me. What is your name?"

The man performed another small bow. "My apologies. It appears that I have you at a disadvantage by knowing your name. My name is Udekazari. I would shake your hand, but you now know that to be impossible. At least it means that it is impossible for me to cause others any harm. You have nothing to loose."

Jiraiya's suspicion only grew. "I have nothing to gain either. I will not let you pass."

Udekazari sighed. "I question your intelligence." He spread out his arms and slipped his feet past Jiraiya in a discreet way. With that done, he managed to pass through where Jiraiya was standing.

The sage could only shiver in response. "I didn't feel a thing, yet I feel violated somehow." He blinked stupidly a few times. "I feel a strange sense of irony." He turned around to find Arashi already preparing to start conversation with the strange geezer.

Arashi focused his blue eyes on the approaching man. "His chakra is strangely transparent." A smile grew. "I'm meeting many interesting people now. Do you mind if I call you Kazari-san?"

"Not at all. I'm impressed that you could hear me from that distance."

"I couldn't. The angle was just right for me to see half of your lips. From there, I guessed what the other half looked like. That was enough for me."

"Impressive. I have already developed greater respect for you than for Jiraiya-san."

Jiraiya appeared behind Udekazari. "What happened to calling me Jiraiya-sama?"

"My respect for you fell." They all turned to Naruto, who started laughing loudly. Jiraiya decided to walk over to a rock a short distance away.

Arashi looked at Naruto with narrowed eyes. "Naruto, do you know that I can control those fish instead of letting them act on their own."

Naruto looked back at Arashi. "What's that got to do with anything?" A fish shot out of the water and passed right by his head. "EH~, WHAT THE?"

"It is my way of telling you that you need to remain focused on the training. Now get back to it." Arashi turned his attention back to the elderly stranger. "I haven't given you my name yet. It is Arashi Ayama."

His eyes widened slightly. "I see, it is a pleasure Arashi-san. I'm curious, what is that boy's full name?"

Hearing the question, Naruto prepared to turn around. "Don't make me direct a fish into your head." He turned his attention back to the water. "His name is Naruto Uzumaki."

The elderly man's eyes widened completely. He froze in place as if he were under the influence of a genjutsu. "To think that things have come full circle like this." Arashi started waving his foot in front of the man's eyes. His eventual response was to raise an eyebrow. "Why did you use your foot?"

"I have to keep both hands on this thing to keep the water flowing. My legs are longer than my arms. Everyone else uses their hands and I like to be different. You pick."

Udekazari chuckled. "I chose all of the above. You truly are an interesting individual. Would you be bothered by some conversation? I have a feeling that you can answer many of my questions."

Arashi smiled widely. "I wouldn't really say that. I am pretty good at holding interesting information though. I may have some answers for you. We have to keep it from the sun-top. Don't need him getting distracted from his training. You can sit next to me." Udekazari nodded before walking to Arashi's side. He lowered himself slowly and precisely. Arashi noticed that he seemed to be supporting his weight completely on his feet. "A normal person would think that was strange. I do it too though. This man is stronger than he looks." Arashi's eyes suddenly widened. "His muscles aren't tensed. Now _that's_ impossible."

"What is the matter Arashi-san?"

"I just discovered something strange about you. Judging by how your weight is on your feet and your muscles aren't strained, your body is weightless. I guess this isn't that strange next to you being literally untouchable."

"What surprises me is you are able to notice such a thing. You have very good eyes. It looks like you even posses a Doujutsu."

"I do, but I rather not talk about it." The sound of a splash was heard. "That boy is really hardheaded." He turned to Naruto and spoke a bit louder. "Take three long steps upstream Naruto-kun. …Those weren't long. Take three more just like those." Naruto started grumbling to himself.

Udekazari laughed. "Tell me…what is this training about?"

"It is to teach him the Seikūken. This is the ultimate close-quarters taijutsu enhancement. Those using it can precisely gauge the movements of anything that enters their personal space in the shape of a sphere. Everything from weight, to wind, and even the earth below will be taken into account by the mind." Arashi looked at the blue and red bracelets with slight interest.

"This sounds like an interesting technique. It doesn't sound useful for shinobi, who also have to deal with ranged conflict."

"That's not a problem for me. I am capable of expanding my Seikūken to a radius of around ten meters. Unfortunately, I have difficulty doing this without thinning the Seikūken. That is really the specialty of Do type fighters like Naruto. Sei types like me are better at compressing our Seikūken so they become denser. Either way, it is very useful."

"How different would you say Sei and Do are?"

Arashi chuckled. "Sei and Do are as different as darkness and light respectively. I can't help but be reminded of their differences while looking at your bracelets. When giving Do a color, the one often chosen is red. Blue is the color that is given to Sei. It is an interesting coincidence."

The man's eyes widened. "An interesting coincidence indeed. Do you know of someone his age who is a Sei type fighter; probably very different from him in personality?" The man stopped talking when Arashi suddenly started putting a lot of effort into restraining his laughter. "I fail to see the humor in my question Arashi-san."

Arashi leaned closer to Udekazari and started whispering even quieter. "That is because Naruto-kun isn't my student. I'm just having some fun with him while my other student is undergoing intense physical conditioning. Ironically, she fits your little description very well." Arashi narrowed his eyes and turned serious. "It fits almost too well. I hope you aren't planning anything that can be harmful to them."

The elderly man proved that he was not normal by not reacting to a stream of killer intent that would have killed someone of his apparent age. Naruto and Jiraiya didn't notice a thing from how Udekazari was Arashi's only target. "What protectiveness … I presume that it is because of your true student. I presume that you wouldn't get as defensive over Naruto-san. You seem to put him down often."

Arashi's expression suddenly flipped to the fusion of a smile and a smirk. He turned to Naruto to make completely sure that he wouldn't be able to hear. "That isn't really it. My original student is a girl with very strong feelings for Naruto-kun. With the time I've spent with her, I feel like a father. You could probably chalk it up to me not liking him much thanks to a bit of a daughter complex. This training is to help him calm down some more as well as make him stronger. Can't have my little girl with a weakling."

Udekazari smiled and stood up. "I hope that you train both well. It will make things even easier for me. Next time you see me, it will be with both of your students." The man walked away calmly. "I have to say that this is a fine turn of events."

Arashi watched him walk away. "I wonder what he~ is up to. I can't sense any ill intent. I'll just wait and see." He suddenly felt his chakra running out. "Naruto, stop for now and give me some of your chakra." The blond grumbled to himself as he walked over to the man. He performed the hand-seals and started giving his chakra up to Arashi. "That's enough Naruto-kun. Take one long step upstream and get started. Time to start up the final addition to this training…now that the distractions are gone."

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**I hope that this chapter was interesting. Defiantly some foreshadowing here. Honestly, it is getting harder to write for this story. I honestly want to focus on my other active story. It has gotten to the point where I am running out of prewritten chapters. This may affect this story's update rate.**

**Next Chapter: See You Later.**


	47. See You Later: Chapter 47

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Naruto continued on the training that Arashi set up for him, with slight changes. As Arashi expected, he failed to catch the fish. As they worked, Jiraiya noticed an old man approaching them. He walks off to check the man out. Even with the man's appearance, Jiraiya can't help but feel suspicious. This is made a mute point after the man reveals his name and walks through the sage and to Arashi. As Udekazari feeling told him, Arashi was able to answer some of his questions. The thing is; what do these answers entail?)

* * *

"**See You Later"**

Arashi watched Naruto closely as he tried to capture the fish inside the water only a short distance away. With a display of dexterity, Arashi flipped his lower body up and swung his foot past Naruto's head. The blond looked at Arashi with a confused expression. "Something just blew past my head."

"Don't be stupid Naruto-kun. Why would the wind target only you? That is pretty ridiculous. This may become more entertaining then I expected. Good thing Jiraiya is taking a nap. Don't need him blabbing. Naruto-kun will have learned Seikūken when he blocks my kick. Once he reaches that point, he should be able to master it on his own."

Naruto turned to Arashi. "Hey, Arashi…do you think you can give me a hint."

Arashi quirked an eyebrow. "Well~… since you asked nicely. Do not just think about the fish when you are trying to catch it. You must think about every possible minute variable. Feel the water flowing past you. Take in how those fish move under each possible condition; feel~ it. A good way to think of it is how you can feel your skin. Try to spread the feeling beyond your physical form."

"It's like when I avoid an attack from behind, ne?"

"No Naruto-kun. You may think of that as sensing danger, but it is just feeling another's killer intent. Sometimes, killer intent can be expressed enough to confuse you, or can be contained completely. Feeling the world around you is completely different." Arashi chuckled at the very confused expression of Naruto's. "I guess that I am not making much sense. You have to figure it out the rest yourself. The final hint I will give you is for you to calm down. Only when you can perform this technique calmly, will you be able to use it while emotional. This explanation reminds me of the last thing I taught Hinata-chan. I guess that I should teach her Seikūken to combine with her ability to sense killer intent. Learning the second version will be mostly up to her."

The only a few hours of the day passed as Naruto continued his training with little success. Arashi removed his hands from the structure, stopping the water flow. Naruto turned to him with a confused expression. "What are you doing Oni-Arashi? I still have plenty of chakra to give you."

Arashi looked at him seriously. "Naruto-kun, it takes about forty-five percent of your chakra to restore mine. Because of a lack of control, you have around six percent of your chakra left. I don't even _have_ to use my Keikigan to tell that you have very little to give me. On the other hand, your chakra reserves will increase by a lot if we keep this pace up. Of course, they are already ridiculously large. What we should really focus on is chakra control. From now on, I want you to transfer you chakra to me at the rates I tell you to. I'm not expecting perfection, but I still want you to get as close as you can. I do~ expect you to improve over time."

"Hai, Arashi-sensei."

Arashi's eyebrow quirked big time. "Maybe Naruto-kun _can_ be unpredictable. Where did that come from?"

Naruto began rubbing the back of his head. "I just thought that you can be a good sensei when you want to. I haven't figured it out yet, but I will. I'll even be able to improve my chakra control along the way."

"That is very nice of you Naruto-kun. Great, now I don't feel like pulling off my next prank. It would have been so funny to see him wake up while hanging upside down." He turned to Jiraiya, who was somehow still asleep. "I can't resist."

After a few minutes, Jiraiya woke up from his long nap in a position he didn't remember ever being in. He looked up to see something far out of place; Naruto and Arashi laughing their rears off on the ground. "HEY, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

Arashi stopped laughing and stood up. "You shouldn't sleep on the ground. It can be unhealthy." This line enhanced Naruto's laughter and restarted Arashi's.

"GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!"

"You're one of the Sannin. You can free yourself. Let's go Naruto-kun. We should have enough time to make some distance before having to set up camp. Which way do we have to go Jiraiya-sama?" The Sannin gave out a fierce scowl. "Okay then … let's start by going down the same direction we were going this morning Naruto-kun. Grumpy pants will be able to catch up later."

"I'M GRUMPY BECAUSE YOU TIED ME UPSIDE DOWN." His yelling feel on deaf ears as the pair ran off chuckling.

As soon as Jiraiya's yelling could no longer be heard, Arashi started up some hand-seals. "Chakra Transfer Jutsu." He placed his right finger tips on Naruto's forehead.

"What are you doing?"

Arashi removed his fingers. "I balanced out our chakra. I want the both of us to get as much distance away from Jiraiya as possible. There is something I want to talk to you about that doesn't include training."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "What could this be about?"

After around two hours of high speed running, Arashi stopped. "I can tell that there is a good camping spot in the trees to our right. Let's set up camp as quickly as possible. I want to start talking as soon as possible."

The camp only takes a few minutes to set up thanks to the use of a number of shadow clones. Once that was done, Arashi takes a seat with his back to a tee. Naruto walked over to him with a questioning expression. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Why don't you take a seat? It may take a while." As Naruto sat down cross-legged, Arashi continued. "I happen to know a lot about you. What concerns me the most about you are your lack of social abilities?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you are socially inept, stupid, retarded, etcetera; especially when it comes to girls or females in general. I didn't even see it very often, and you still manage to screw up royally each and every time. I am going to talk to you on how to deal with women."

"NO~~!" Before Naruto could stand fully, Arashi had him by the back of his pants. "I DON'T NEED TO GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN!"

Arashi's eyebrows quirked. "Something tells me that Jiraiya caused some damage. Calm down Naruto-kun. This is something that you have to learn. Do you really want to be single all your life? You need help recognizing the availability of a woman."

"NO, I WON'T HEAR IT! ERO-SENNIN WAS BAD ENOUGH!"

"I am not Jiraiya. Let me assure you that my info is based more on what women are really like. You can trust me because I tend to spend more time observing a woman's behaviors rather than her body. I promise you, I can easily get any woman to enjoy my presence. Now getting a date would only be possible if in the right place."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by the right place?"

"Places where single women with at least decent personalities are likely to gather. Certainly you didn't mean anything lewd like where Jiraiya would go. I have no interest in any women that can simply be bought. I am sure you are the same way Naruto-kun."

The blond sat back down. "I guess you're right. I really~ don't want to spend my time trying to get a date the way Ero-Sennin does."

"Good boy Naruto-kun. Unfortunately, teaching you about the feelings of women will have to wait a bit. You must first understand your own feelings."

"Are you telling me that I don't know how I feel?"

"I'm sure you understand all your simpler emotions completely. The thing is that love is the most complicated of all emotions. Figuring it out alone is impossible for anybody. Even detailed explanations will fail to capture the feeling of love completely. I can only tell you what I have experienced myself. It may be different for you. For me, love starts with being with the girl. I can simply be glad to be near her. It makes me excited and calm at the same times. It's not really something that is easy to figure out. Just know that sometimes, you will feel as if all you want is to be near her. Can you tell me how you feel as far as Sakura-san is concerned?"

Naruto looked to the side while rubbing the back of his head and blushing a bit. "I asked her out many times before. She ignores me, yells at me, and even hits me if she's in a bad mood. I don't even think that she ever thought about actually going out with me. When I first saw her, I though that I found someone. She was being bullied and I tried to help, but she only got mad. Because I was able to try once, I didn't want to _stop_ trying."

"Sounds like a case of you being too persistent. Even if you think that you should never give up on anything; that is not always the best idea. If a man sticks to a path just because it looks pretty, he may find himself walking off a cliff. Always make sure that you know where the path can lead." Arashi crushed the ground beneath his right hand, even with the fairly large rock that was just under that ground. "Start by imagining a life with Sakura-san. I'll move on to Hinata-chan next." Arashi watched as Naruto closed his eyes for a few minutes. The blond suddenly pushed himself back. "Okay, I know that Sakura-san can be a bit violent, but it couldn't have been that scary. Maybe he got to the point where she got pregnant."

"N-no, her face changed."

Arashi quirked an eyebrow. "Okay, either he got to where she is an old woman who would want to use transformation jutsu, or the person changed. I hope that the face wasn't a man's."

"OF COURSE NOT! HINATA-CHAN DOESN'T…!" He stopped at realized what he just said out loud.

Naruto leaned back a bit at the frightening grin the appeared on Arashi's face. "I am _not…_ going to let this go."

"ARASHI~~~~!"

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. "Saved by the pervert."

Arashi's face displayed great amounts of disappointment, annoyance, and frustration. "The trap hole that I set up under him along with how complicated those knot were would have been able to hold a person of mid-level-jonin for another hour. Things were just about to get fun." He suddenly smirked. "I'll leave this alone for until I see him back at Konoha. It should be more fun for me if he doesn't see it coming."

Jiraiya glared at Arashi with unbridled furry. "WHAT THE HELL!"

Arashi switched to a blank expression to add comedic effect to his next words. "Are you talking about that hole that was under you? I had a clone dig that out from beneath you. After the hole was set up, it set up a wire trap that would wrap you up exactly where I predicted you would fall. It was all pretty hard to calculate with how many wires I set up."

Jiraiya actually looked like he was going to blow steam out of his ears. He suddenly calmed down and smiled. "I am not even going to let this get to me. I'll have to be the mature one here."

Arashi quirked an eyebrow. "Please~… I am the most mature one here. You are a fifty year old man that still hasn't left his teen years. Naruto-kun is~ a teen. I'm a prankster that likes to go to extremes. If Hinata-chan were here, she would be the most mature." Arashi stretched his arms up and yawned. "Well… I'm going to bed. Please don't bother me."

By the next morning, Naruto and Jiraiya were the first to leave their tents. This confused Naruto a lot. "Hey, where is Arashi-sensei. He's usually up by now."

Jiraiya's eye's twitched. "How does that man do it? Naruto is actually showing the man some real respect. No matter. I got my revenge. He'll come out eventually Naruto."

As if on cue, Arashi walked out of his tent while glaring at Jiraiya. Naruto's mouth was so far down; it looked like it was dislocated. He was looking at an Arashi with his entire upper half covered in dark brown oil. Many thin wires surrounded him the way yarn would surround a cat. "What happened?"

Arashi's eyes slid to Naruto before going back to the laughing sage. "The pervert over there decided to set up some traps for when I wake up. I was hit in the back and front by globs of oil as soon as I sat up into a bunch of loose wires. I won't even let this get to me. How can I dish it out if I can't take it?" The man turned to his tent and pulled out a still pristine sealing scroll.

As soon as the smoke from the sealing disappeared, Jiraiya's jaw dropped. The reason was the hole in the ground that held _Arashi_. The man flipped out of the hole and gave the oil covered Arashi a two fingered salute. "Great work playing decoy buddy." The dirtied Arashi gave off his salute before disappearing. The real Arashi looked at Jiraiya. "So you used some kind of knockout agent to keep my clone sleeping long enough to set up your traps and to get him to sleep longer. You did fairly well for an armature Jiraiya-chan. The only thing more fun than pulling pranks on others is to avoid their pranks."

Jiraiya's face turned red enough to make it look like he was about to burst. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! I WANT YOU TO LEAVE!"

Arashi turned his body left to face Naruto, but his head and eyes were still focused on Jiraiya. "I will leave, but only when Naruto-kun has learned what I have to teach him. If you want me to leave before then, you have to force me away." Arashi narrowed his eyes. "We both know the possibilities such a fight's end will have."

Jiraiya actually flinched back at the level of resolve in Arashi's eyes and voice. "It's like he will fight me to the death. Even with Ma and Pa, my best chance would be to outlast him and not get too injured." Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "Fine, how can I help you speed up his training?"

Arashi smirked victoriously. "Let us spend every morning training. Since I would like to spend all this time training my body, I'll leave behind a Shadow Clone to oversee Naruto-kun's training. It will be helpful if you lend my clone your chakra as well as follow some simple instructions. You're free to check out my training, but I wouldn't recommend trying to join in."

As the days passed by, Naruto continued his training in the stone doughnuts. Although it was slow, he continued to make progress in getting closer to the fish. Jiraiya's aid helped them train for the entire day every day. The first time that Jiraiya saw what the real Arashi did during this time, he blanched while thinking about how Arashi will be stronger soon if the training doesn't destroy his body. This inspired Jiraiya to train as well.

With all the time that passed, Naruto prepared yet another attempt at catching a fish. He crushed many in his hands before. Now, he planed to catch one. He took a deep breath to quiet his body, mind, and emotions. "I can feel it now. The way tiny streams of water move around and intermingle, how these streams carry the vibrations of my movement, how these vibrations are felt by the fish, and how they react to them. I _can_ do this." Even with how fast his hand really dove into the water, it seemed ridiculously slow. As soon as his finger touched the water, the fish was already moving. This didn't bother Naruto, because he didn't see where it was, but where it will be. He relaxed his fingers and spread them for a space that the fish will fill. As soon as its fins were lodged in his hand, he lifted it out of the water. Some inspection revealed that the fish was as intact as the moment it entered his hand.

Arashi's clone smiled at this sight. "Time for the final test." The Arashi flipped up, aiming to swing his foot past Naruto's head. Without even thinking, Naruto blocked the kick. "Congratulations Naruto-kun, you can now use the Seikūken."

The blond jumped up and down while pumping his hands into the air. "YATTA~~!"

The clone laughed. "Great job Naruto-kun. With how I made the difficulty constantly increase, your skill with the Seikūken is great. Let me give you a hint in bringing your Seikūken to the next level. For a normal Seikūken, your must be calm. Learn to use your Seikūken when being overly emotional. See you later." He disappeared in the next instant.

"Hey, aren't you going to help me." Naruto ran off to where he knew Arashi was training. He ran until reaching a spot beside Jiraiya. "Where did Arashi-sensei go?"

Jiraiya crossed his arms. "He just left without a word. I doubt that you will be able to catch up to him at his speed."

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**In the next chapter, Hinata is back, but will be a bit~ different. I never thought that people would be annoyed by me moving away from her for a while. Writing her now will turn out to be a bit difficult.**

**Next Chapter: A New Disciple.**


	48. A New Disciple: Chapter 48

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Arashi and Naruto started up another round of training. As soon as the two started running out of chakra, Arashi pulled his next prank on Jiraiya. This gave Arashi enough time to talk to Naruto about his personal life. This was interrupted by Jiraiya's appearance. He and Arashi came to an agreement on Arashi leaving as soon as Naruto's training was done. Arashi held true to this agreement.)

* * *

**Okay, something strange happened during the last chapter. The same review was given to me seven times over. Needless to say, I deleted six of them. How weird.**

"**A New Disciple"**

Two very new chunin guards for the gates of Kumo were treated to a very strange sight. A brown haired man wearing a dark blue windbreaker was not walking or running up to the gate, but skipping. The man actually looked like a school girl on her way to her first date that happened to be with the chick magnet of her year. The taller of the two leaned towards the other. "Who do you think _this_ fruitcake is?"

The shorter one chuckled. "I don't know. I have never seen someone so stupid since the first time I saw Kirābī. I really have trouble understanding how all these eccentric types get all this attention. Maybe I should try being a bit like them."

"I don't think so. You aren't talented enough to pull something like that off. You shouldn't forget about Nii Yugito. She is beautiful, powerful, and has a normal outlook on the life as a shinobi."

"Yeah~, too bad she scares off anyone who tries to make a pass at her. Even her young new friend is off limits."

"Now _that_… is a shame. I have seen her once, and she is not only easy on the eyes, but a sight to see. I have heard that she is a Hyuga from Konoha and disciple to the legendary Arashi Ayama-sama. Even with the potential of having our own Hyuga clan, I can understand why she is off limits. Get back into attention. He's a few minutes away."

The skipping man smirked widely for a second. "It is times like that that I am happy that my training allows me to read lips from a mile away. Time for some random fun."

"Stop, who are you and what are you doing here?"

The man's expression switched from a happy-go-lucky grin to a threatening glare. "I am Arashi Ayama and I am about to have a little _talk~_ about how I can read lips from a mile away." Arashi turned to the taller one. "What's this about me being a fruitcake?" He then looked at the shorter one. "You aren't unique enough to be different." He continued by looking back and forth between the two. "How should I start dealing with how you two were talking about my disciple? Hinata-chan is a beautiful young woman with a personality to match. Talking about that kind of girl in that way annoys me, and she doesn't have to be my disciple for it to. Now…what should I do to you?"

By this point, their clothing was soaked with their sweat. "G-g-gomen Arashi-sama. W-w-we had n-no c-c-c-lue that i-it was y-you."

Arashi threw his head back in laughter whole squeezing the two _lightly_, at least by his standards. "That stuttering brings back memories. You two scare easy. Don't worry. I am not going to hurt you or tell any one about what you two said. I would say to forget that this ever happened, but I don't think that this event is that forgettable." Arashi stuck his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker and walked into the village as if nothing happened. Knowing where to go, Arashi didn't waste any time. He soon reached a closed off settlement with a door that would take ten full grown villagers to open. Arashi placed his hand on the door and pushed it open with ease. "ARASHI~ IS~ BACK~~! This should take a few seconds."

"ARASHI-SAMA~~!" The voice ended as soon as Arashi was tackled by young woman with blond hair. "I haven't seen you in so~ long. I really missed you."

Arashi let out a chuckle. "It has only been around seven or so months Yugito-chan. That is nothing to the number of years between the first time I was here up to my second."

"But you where only here for a day. You stayed for a few weeks on your first time here. You were so~ handsome then, and you are even more handsome now. I want to be able to see more of you." Her eyes moved from Arashi's feet to his face as a suggestive grin grew on her face. "A _lot_ more of you."

Arashi chuckled. "This girl is bold. That may work on normal men, but I'm not normal. Could you please stop rubbing my arm between your breasts?"

The woman pouted. "But it feels~ so~ good~~. Times like this, I wish I had Hinata's pair."

"Speaking of my disciple, did you do a good job in protecting her from teenagers and other perverts?"

Yugito chuckled darkly. "Of course I did. I had a lot~ of experience from the past."

"That's good to hear." Arashi looked at Yugito with his blue eyes and held her chin. As he leaned in, her heart started beating erratically and her eyes widened. At the last moment, Arashi slipped to his right and kissed her on the cheek. He pulled back and brought his hand to his side. After a few seconds, Yugito fell to her back. Arashi waved his hand in front of her eyes before decided that she fainted with her eyes wide open. He then closed her eyes for her. "I now know how Naruto-kun feels when Hinata-chan faints on him. At least I know why she fainted." Arashi looked up and noticed the one he returned for. She had a visible layer of sweat on her skin. Her hair that went down to the middle of her back was also a bit disheveled. Arashi started waving at her with his right hand with far more motion than necessary. "HOW'S THE WEATHER HINATA-CHAN?"

The teenaged girl's jaw dropped. A few seconds passed before she dashed for Arashi, stopping right in front of him. "YOU LEAVE ME IN ME IN THIS VILLAGE FOR SEVEN MONTHS TO UNDERGO THIS MONSTROUS TRAINING AND THE FIRST THING YOU HAVE TO SAY TO ME IS HOW'S THE WEATHER! I WOKE UP EXHAUSTED EVERY MORNING, AND NOT BECAUSE OF THE TRAINING! THEY ONLY TOLD ME WHY AFTER I GAINED IMMUNITY TO THE POISON THEY GAVE ME EVERY NIGHT…FOUR~ MONTHS AFTER IT STARTED! AFTER THAT, THE TRAINING EVEN GOT WORSE! AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF… I FIND OUT THAT IT WAS YOU~ WHO DESIGNED THE TRAINING PROGRAM!" The teen started huffing in air to regain her breath. After a few seconds, she crossed her arms and glared. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Arashi smiled widely. "I'm surprised that your voice isn't hoarse."

Hinata's mind blanked completely at what Arashi said. After a few seconds, Hinata returned to her senses. This awareness found Arashi balancing himself on her shoulders. "Get…of…me."

"Aw~~~…think of it as training. I have to work on my balance up here and you have to carry me. It is a win-win situation."

"No it isn't. I am not amused at all by what you are doing."

"You're right Hinata-chan. I'm ready to bust a gut, but then I would fall off. On the other hand, it will be pretty hard to talk to you seriously like this. I would like to know about how your personality changed." Arashi fell back and used his hands to flip to his feet.

Hinata turned to the man with a slightly confused expression. "My personality didn't change that much; did it?"

Arashi crossed his arms. "It did Hinata-chan. It is almost as if the disciple that I knew of back then hardly exists anymore; like I have a new~ disciple." Arashi started rubbing his chin. "You are like how I imagine Yugito-chan would be when I am not around."

Hinata's mouth parted and her eyes widened. "I can't believe it. You're right. I am becoming more and more like Yugito-san."

"Does that mean that you will faint like that if Naruto-kun kisses you on the cheek? Of course she would."

A dark pink blush spread across Hinata's cheeks. "Arashi-shishō~~."

"Hey~, you're back Hinata-chan. This actually reminds me that I ran into Naruto-kun while I was away."

"NANI? When, how, where? What did he look like? Is he okay? Do you know how much stronger he is?"

"If I had to say, Naruto-kun's skills are actually beyond Jonin level right now. This is thanks to some personal training from me."

Hinata crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Arashi. "Did you do anything excessive?"

Images of chasing Naruto with a tree ran through Arashi's mind. "No. I just trained him and helped him increase his endurance." Arashi developed a wide smile. "It has been a long time since I have seen you Hinata-chan. We need to do something so we know each other as well as before."

"What do you have in mind Arashi-shishō?"

Arashi's smile changed into a smirk as he took up a fighting pose with his left arm in front of his chest and his right at his side. "I was thinking along the lines of a spar. I'm sure you won't mind testing yourself out on someone who can give you a real workout." Hinata actually developed a small smirk as she took up the Jūken fighting stance. "Okay, even small smirks look out of place on Hinata-chan's face."

"Aren't you being cocky right now Arashi-shishō? There are plenty of people in this village strong enough for me to test myself against.

Arashi pouted while holding his stance. "That's mean~ Hinata-chan. I was hoping that you would always think of me as your supper awesome and powerful shishō. Now you are saying that I am not that special."

"You are~ special Arashi-shishō … just in your head."

"Brutal~~. Okay, I think that it is time for a shishō to shut his disrespectful student up. Let's avoid any big jutsu."

Hinata narrowed her eyes only for them to widen when Arashi appeared in front of her. "When did he?" On reflex, she fired off a left laden with chakra. Her left arm suddenly flew back with enough force to make her step back. Hinata pulled her hand up to her face and looked at it. "He punched my strike just once. My hand is numb and my muscles feel strained. I really have~ forgotten how strong Arashi-shishō is."

"Your arm _must_ be feeling that Hinata-chan. Compared to the me from seven months ago, I am quite a bit stronger. I am far too young to stop growing in strength."

Hinata's eyes trembled for a second before calming down. "I can't show Arashi-shishō how I have improved if I don't go all out from the beginning."

Hinata took on a stance that brought back memories for Arashi. "So she's going to use the jutsu that made me want to have her as my disciple in the first place. Let's see how she's improved."

"Eight Trigrams: Chakra Blade Barrage."

Arashi's eyes widened at her words. "Changing that one word makes a big difference. This will be an attack."

That thought was proven when Hinata charged him with her fingers ready. Her hands swept through the air with the grace of a dancer and the sharpness of a blade. Arashi dodged the chakra blades by slipping past her right side. "Your mistake Arashi-shishō."

When Arashi stopped, he noticed a large gash in the right shoulder of his clothing. It luckily didn't reach his skin. "She's learned two things. One, she can focus chakra in obscure spots like an elbow; and two, she can mold her chakra at the last instant. Even my doujutsu won't recognize when she is prepared to attack any faster than my normal eyes can." Hinata hopped to Arashi with her left leg extended. Not taking chances, Arashi dodged right instead of back. Hinata landed with her left foot far back and her right leg bent. A thin trench formed a straight line all the way to her left foot. "She must have created a chakra blade at her feet. She must have developed this final form of her jutsu from seeing Kirābī's fighting style. I truly feel like I am dealing with his multi-sword style. The thing is that Hinata-chan has far more blades."

Arashi continued his new dance with Hinata, except that a single mistake during this dance would result in him being cut open. Arashi even drew Setsunamaru to help keep from getting scratched too much. As Hinata spun around and rotated, she resembled a Hyuga using the Rotation, except she was far more deadly. A full hour passed before she just stopped stone cold and fell to her rear, supporting herself with her hands. "How… was that Arashi-…shishō?" Contrasting Hinata's exhausted look, Arashi only had a light layer of sweat and was breathing only slightly hard. He suddenly started laughing loudly. "HEY… what's that about?"

Arashi continued laughing, even with Hinata's question. It took a few more seconds for him to stop. "Don't worry Hinata-chan. I just feel extraordinary excitement and elation. That was the most fun I have ever had in months. I never expected you to be able to create chakra blades from all over your limbs. I think I saw one coming from your shoulder."

Hinata chuckled softly. "You did Arashi-shishō."

"I have to say that I am very impressed. I did~ think of teaching you how to perform your jutsu that way, but you not only thought of doing it yourself; you mastered it to a frightening level. I am sure that with just a week or two of training with me, you will be able fight Naruto-kun one-on-one and win."

Hinata blushed pink and started fiddling with her fingers. "I don't think that I can be that strong."

Arashi's eyebrow quirked. "It looks like she hasn't lost all of her previous self. That is good because no one should ever loose any part of who they are." Arashi looked over to Yugito and noticed that she was still asleep. "I can't believe that she is still asleep. I must have really surprised her with that cheek kiss." He turned to Hinata. "Let's get out of here. I don't know why, but we are really lucky that neither Kirābī nor his brother has noticed that I am here. If they find out, they will~ want to fight with me. Let's see how fast you can run now. Ladies first."

Hinata took in a deep breath and let it out. "I'm still exhausted Arashi-shishō."

The master performed a sweat-drop. He then smiled. "Then let's see how fast I can run while carrying you on my back."

Hinata let out a sigh. "Fine, it's not like it hasn't happened before."

Arashi pouted. "Why are you saying that like it is some sort of punishment?"

"It is Arashi-shishō."

"Brutal. These last months with Hinata-chan will be fun. Climb on and lets go."

Hinata let out another sigh as she climbed onto Arashi's back. "I hope that his speed isn't as extreme for me as last time." She held on tight as Arashi began accelerating quickly. He leapt through the rooftops at the fastest speed he could manage without damaging the roofing. "This really isn't~ as bad. I really am a lot stronger than before; or at least faster." Arashi suddenly stopped on the edge of a roof and jumped down into an alley. "What's that about Arashi-shishō?"

"I saw Kirābī in the corner of my right vision. I don't want him to see me." Arashi dashed to the left and continued on his way out of the village. "Oops."

"Oops, what is oops?"

"Nothing much Hinata-chan. It is just that running through a Hidden village at my speed with a person on my back can be considered very suspicions. You being on my back has also made me harder to recognize. Judging by how they can keep up, the three that are following us are ANBU level."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "You are going to keep running, aren't you?"

"That answer is the same as this question. Was that a rhetorical question?" Hinata narrowed her eyes at him. "Even with all those months, we know each other too well while still managing to surprise each other from time to time."

"I wish that you will _stop _surprising me."

Arashi chuckled. "Oh come~ on~. A few of my surprises have been very good."

"Yeah, followed by a bad one."

"I have to keep your karma balanced."

"More like to keep yourself entertained."

Arashi laughed again. "Alright, time to ditch these three." Thanks to the ground being sturdier, Arashi was able to increase his speed.

"You do~ know that if you told them who you were, they would stop chasing us."

Arashi grinned. "Where would the fun be in that?"

"In the not being chassed part. Don't you think that they will start using jutsu when we leave the village? I'm sure that they have plenty of paralysis jutsu."

The grin turned into a smirk. "Perfect, evasion practice." With a powerful leap, Arashi jumped onto a building and far up the Kumo gate.

"Don't you realize that if they hit either of us, we both go down?"

Arashi chuckled once more. "Fine, as soon as I land, I am going full speed." His feet hit the ground.

"Na…NI~~~~!" Hinata had to wrap her arms and legs around Arashi to hold on. "At least I am not blacking out. Honestly, I missed this insanity. I'm not telling _him_ that though. It might encourage him."

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**Hinata is finally back. It won't be long before I bring the story back to Konoha. I have to fix a little plot hole first.**

**Next Chapter: Snake in Grass.**


	49. Snake in Grass: Chapter 49

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." With Arashi's return to Kumo, he was able to scare a few chunin a bit. After that he went to the dojo that he built for Hinata. He first met with Yugito. After her flirting, he gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek causing her to faint from surprise. Once Hinata showed up, she yelled at him in frustration before the two spared. After that, Arashi unnecessarily _escaped_ from Kumo.)

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**Here is a warning; this chapter will end in a cliffhanger. That is all.**

"**Snake in Grass"**

After around two weeks of training, Arashi was able to teach Hinata the Seikūken. This training would have been done sooner if it wasn't for a simple complication. "If it weren't for the fact that Hinata-chan has nowhere near the amount of chakra she can lend to me as Naruto-kun, we would have been able to train more. If we could have trained that much, she would have finished faster than Naruto-kun. Sei type personalities have a great advantage in learning Seikūken over Do personalities."

Hinata looked back at Arashi. "Can you tell me where we are Arashi-shishō?"

Arashi smiled. "Yeah, I know where we are. We are somewhere a day's distance from Kusagakure."

Hinata narrowed her eyes at him. "Just as I thought. I could already tell by the large open grass field we are walking through. I just wanted the set up for this. Since I doubt that you took me through Oto no Kuni; that means that you took me through Hi no Kuni."

"You are mistaken Hinata-chan. If you think about it, we have been moving in a straight geometric line ever since we left Kaminari no Kuni."

Hinata's eyes widened. "He's right. How is that even possible? Thinking about that, the place we would have wound up at is Konoha."

Arashi raised his finger. "Not if on the night we left Kaminari no Kuni, I took you across the water."

"How could you do that?"

"I know of a lot of pressure points. Finding a spot that can look exactly like the one we were in before was the difficult part."

Hinata narrowed her white eyes. "He pushed my pressure points to keep me asleep. How much~ does this man know? You really _are_ an annoying man Arashi-shishō."

Arashi chuckled and looked up at the rolling hills. "Look at that Hinata-chan. Looks like we aren't the only ones who are traveling this way. I wonder who he is." Arashi's eyes slowly moved back to the direction they were moving before suddenly swiveling back. "I can't believe it. Why would he~ be here of all places. The only thing of interest is that man over there." He looked over at Hinata with a serious expression. "Hinata-chan, I want you to check out those trees one kilometer ahead where I am looking."

Her eyes showed confusion. "If you say so Arashi-shishō; Byakugan." She scanned ahead to the forest.

"He's moving to the left _very _quickly Hinata-chan."

"Hai." She adjusted her search to catch him. The instant she did, the moment of surprise was enough for her to lose him. "It can't be."

"It is Hinata-chan."

"Do you think he noticed us?"

Arashi narrowed his blue eyes. "I have no doubt that he knows that we saw him. From what I have heard, that man is too crafty to not know. He seems to be following that other man." Arashi looked at Hinata seriously. "The decision is up to you Hinata-chan. What do we do?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "You…want me~ to decide."

Arashi nodded. "That's right Hinata-chan. You may be in danger if we do this."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "I am not the same as that time we encountered those two with the cloaks decorated with red clouds. I can handle myself far better now."

Arashi closed his eyes and let his head drop a bit. "I see." He then opened his eyes with a smirk. "If that is what you want, then I am with you all the way. What kind of master am I if I don't allow my disciple her own decisions? I'll even let you be the leader of this little operation."

Her eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean."

"Consider it leadership training. Whatever you tell me to do; I will do without question... unless the decision could get one of us killed or if the situation gets a bit out of hand."

Hinata's eyelids formed flat lines. "How~ reassuring Arashi-shishō."

Arashi chuckled. "Don't worry. You are still free to ask me any question; just not what I would have us do under the situation. You have to figure that out yourself. Do you still want to go through with this Hinata-chan?"

Hinata's expression turned very solemn as she glanced in the direction both of the other men were heading. "If my geography is right, they are heading for the Tenchi Bridge. We should try to cross it before they do. If we can't, we will have to cross the gorge without the bridge."

Arashi raised an eyebrow. "That is something that the old Hinata would have overreacted to if I said it. Too bad, because it is funny when she gets surprised."

The pair turned to the bridge and began running as quickly as Hinata could. They immediately dove into a group of trees and made their way to the gorge. Hinata held up her hand as a signal to stop. "Byakugan." After a few seconds, she cut the flow of chakra. "They are too close to the bridge for use to cross without being seen. I also saw someone else coming in from the other side. He is wearing _that_ cloak."

Arashi narrowed his eyes, and turned them to the other end of the bridge. He saw a large and fairly round figure wearing the infamous cloak. Arashi immediately noticed what was strange about this man. "So, we are dealing with a member of Akatsuki as well?"

Hinata nodded. "Hai, what should we do?"

"That is up to you Hinata-taichō."

She narrowed her eyes. "He adjusts pretty quickly." She turned her eyes towards the bridge and clinched her fists. "What can~ we do? We are dealing with two S-classed shinobi at the least. That man in the dark cloak is a complete mystery to me. I wish I was better at gauging someone's strength." Her eyes widened. "Arashi-shishō, I need you to tell me about that man in the cloak."

"Hai. His chakra levels are about mid to high jonin level. By the controlled way his chakra fluctuates in his body, I surmise that his chakra control is impeccable. He is either a genjutsu expert or a medical shinobi. I am leaning towards the second choice because he has a stronger physique than genjutsu users usually have."

Hinata looked upon Arashi in awe. "Amazing… Arashi-shishō can tell how strong someone's body is through all those clothes and from this distance. Even with my Byakugan, I can't beat his experience." Hinata shook her head a bit. "I need to stay focused. I need to think about this. Can you tell me about the Akatsuki member?"

"Hai Hinata-taichō. As he walked across the bridge, I immediately noticed something strange about him. The way he walks is not human. In truth, it doesn't match the movements of any animal that can ever be that size and shape; summon or not. There is also his chakra system, or lack thereof. Instead, all his chakra is densely pack into one location. I wouldn't even be able to see it if it weren't for how pack his chakra is. From what I can recall, that man is a puppet user from Suna, and the body we are seeing is his puppet. He must be controlling it from the inside."

Hinata activated her eyes and took a deeper look into the Akatsuki member. Her eyes widened further. "Arashi-shishō doesn't know how right his is. His body isn't even there." Hinata shuddered. "All I can see is a heart at the very core of another puppet inside of that puppet. That is where all his chakra is concentrated."

Arashi narrowed his eyes. "Well that is certainly weird. If all of him is a puppet, then it means trouble. Because puppet users originate in Suna, all their attacks usually utilize poison. Those attacks are also well hidden and require quick reflexes and good eyes to block or avoid."

Hinata clenched her fists. "I know that I should really give up on this idea, but a chance like this may never come again. I have to do this … for Naruto-kun. Let's try to move in closer." Just as she said that, the man in the dark grey cloak removed the clothing. Hinata's eyes widened. "It…It can't be. It is Kabuto-san from the chunin exams. What is he~ doing here?"

Arashi narrowed his eyes. "I guess that you don't read the Bingo Book of your own village. Kabuto is registered as a traitor who defected from Konoha to Oto. I read that he could be second in command behind our target and is said to have fighting skills that rival Kakashi Hatake. This may be dangerous considering that Orochimaru knows that we are here." His eyes widened a bit. "Well that is interesting."

"What is it?"

"That Akatsuki member just sent some killer intent to this direction. It would be safe to say that he noticed us, or more specifically, you."

Hinata's eyelids formed flat lines. "He's blaming this on me. What do we do now?"

"You forget Hinata-taichō, the decision it all up to you. Decide fast because they are no longer on the bridge and are making a beeline for us." Arashi noticed a small white and black speck in the sky. "Well this is unexpected."

Hinata let out a sigh before her eyes became resolute. "Let's fight them. You can take Kabuto while I fight the Akatsuki member. As long as no one else joins into my fight, I should be fine."

"About~ that. There is another Akatsuki member approaching right now; most likely the other one's partner. All I can tell is that he uses earth style jutsu. Have you learned any good lightning style jutsu in Kumo?"

Her eyes widened in complete surprised. "Are you seriously expecting me to fight against two Akatsuki members by myself?"

"No, I will lend you five shadow clones to help you against that second one."

"No, you'll have to divide you chakra that way. You will still have the others to deal with."

Arashi nodded. "The way I~ see it, things have just gotten out of control, but since you don't want me to, I won't give you five clones. I will give you advice though. Get both in front of you and use _that_ jutsu. It may be just what you need to win or scare them off." Hinata nodded. "SPLIT!" Arashi and Hinata jumped back just as the dangers they planed to face reached the spots they were standing. "I hope that things do not happen the same way as before." He smirked as he felt a presence behind him. "Of course this won't be easy." He pulled out Setsunamaru and spun around, connecting his blade with the one behind him.

The attack he blocked came from just who he expected. The man with purple markings along his eyes chuckle. "My~~, what a fine sword. I may take it once I am done with you." Arashi reacted by shutting away all of his emotions. In all his life and all the experiments that he performed, Orochimaru has never seen such dead eyes. "What is this? I want to experiment on him."

Arashi made sure he could see Kabuto coming in from his peripheral vision. "I have to make sure I time this right." Once Arashi was sure the timing was right, he pushed Orochimaru away with the full strength of one arm and sent a straight side kick into Kabuto's chest. The power of the moves forced Orochimaru back and sent Kabuto through a tree to wind up slamming the back of his head against a thick branch. His form was lost after that. "That should keep him out of the way." Arashi faced the snake and spoke with his dead tone. "Do not underestimate me."

Orochimaru let out a raspy chuckle. "Indeed~. I did not expect such strength from such a small form. Do you use chakra to enhance your power?"

"I do not. My power comes from precise movements and a compact muscular structure. Enhancing my attacks that way would be a waist of chakra."

Orochimaru grinned widely. "You seem to get more interesting by the moment. The first thing that caught my interest was how you were able to notice me. The next thing is your eyes~. I can't wait to see what makes them like that."

Arashi closed his eyes once and opened them, with the eyes being hazel. They quickly shifted back to the shifting blue color. His eyes still remained death-dull though. "It is my doujutsu."

The snake let out a raspy chuckle. "How interesting~. That reminds me of that interesting girl that was with you. I can't wait to get my hands on an unmarked Hyuga. Even her corpse should make for interesting research."

"If you are trying to get a rise out of me, it will not work. I let my disciple fight a member of Akatsuki alone once before. Now that there are two of them, I will not make the same mistake twice."

Orochimaru chuckled again. "How foolish~. She's alone right now."

"That is what you think. Her aid should be arriving soon."

**Back with Hinata.**

With an endless stream of poisoned senbon flying towards her, Hinata had to string together many slips, dips, and ducks to avoid getting pierced. Her eyes widened when she felt some killer intent coming from behind. Before she could do anything to act in defense, a bolt of lightning shot pass her. The stream of senbon stopped as the large body turned to the forest. Hinata's eyes widened at what she saw. "You said that you wouldn't send any clones for me Arashi-shishō."

The two Arashi standing at the edge of the forest smirked. "The boss said he wouldn't send five clones. There are other things he never said he wouldn't send."

"HEY, WHERE DO YOU GET OFF DISRUPTING MY ART?"

The large Akatsuki member turned to the man standing on a large white bird in the middle of the gorge. "How can you call that foolishness art? Art is beauty that lasts forever. Something that only lasts for a single moment could never be art."

One of the Arashi stepped forward with his finger held up. "I believe that both of you are right and wrong. You are both wrong in denying what the other sees as art. Take art that lasts a single moment for example. Even if its existence in this world lasts for a moment, it will exist within the mind of the one who views it for longer than that. Art is always about impact."

The long haired blond man smiled as these words. "Finally, someone who understands the superiority of my art, hmm." He nodded with his eyes closed.

"You misunderstand me Blondie. I never said that your art was superior; only explained why it is art. Art is always about impact. The same goes for something that does not move. It all depends on who sees it. Motionless art can also be dynamic not in its movement, but in the way that it was created. In the end, it always boils down to the artist. With this understanding, it is not hard to figure out the greatest artist in existence.

The larger one narrowed his already thin eyes. "Oh~, and who would that be?"

The Arashi clone smiled widely. "Nature of course. Just take a look at that gorge over there. Nature painstakingly created that over thousands of years with nothing but running water. Think of the islands that were created with the constant eruptions of a single volcano. Remember that no matter what, every square inch of this planet will change in one way or another. Existence is the greatest art."

"THAT IS THE BIGGEST PILE OF DRIBBLE I HAVE EVER HEARD!"

"Deidara…be quiet. I should kill you for following me here. Be glad that I need you right now." He turned his attention to the Arashi pair. "This was an interesting conversation, but we have wasted too much time here. Unfortunately for you, I must kill you. This is a direct order from our leader. Since I know that your name is Arashi, I shall tell you mine. I am Sasori of the Red Sand."

A large scorpion-like tail fired off from behind, aiming to skewer both of the Arashi. A sudden stream of fire forced Sasori to leap back and cancel his attack. He turned to the forest to find a large salamander with yellow-orange body and brown spots all over. Its body was thick and as large as an ox. All its appendages were short and thick. It seemed to smile as it leered at Sasori. "I can smell~ the poisons that lace all your weapons." He laughed loudly with his deep voice. "YOU ARE THE TYPE OF FOE THAT THE GREAT DOKUYOKE LIVES~ TO FIGHT!"

One of the clones shook his head as he walked over to Hinata. "I summoned him to help you fight against the puppet user. As his name suggests, he is completely immune to any kind of poison. He should prove to be a fine partner against Sasori. Unfortunately, the two of us will have a bit of trouble against a flying opponent when we can't fly. If the Raikage did what the boss asked him to do, you should already know what I am asking you to do."

Hinata smirked. "Hai…I do." She pinched her thumb between her teeth to draw some blood. She then ran through a set of hand-seals. The preparation ended with her slamming her hands on the edge of the gorge. "SUMMONING JUTSU!"

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**I have to ask, how many of you expected this? Since I didn't write much to lead towards it, I have to say very few. Now you are all free to speculate on what animal it will be.**

**Next Chapter: The Greatest Barrier.**

**PS: After writing 6000 words a week for a few weeks, I need a bit of a break. I guess this will mean another month off.**


	50. The Greatest Barrier: Chapter 50

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi: After some travel, Hinata tries to deduce that they are heading for Konoha. Arashi cancels that by telling her that he took them across the water, and are near Kusagakure. In the middle of a forest, they run into a number of powerful missing-nin. Hinata stays behind to deal with two Akatsuki members at the edge of a cliff as Arashi takes on Orochimaru and Kabuto after sending two clones and a summon to Hinata. As per Arashi's request, Hinata prepared her own summon.)

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**I haven't updated in three months. (The exact dates are below.) I guess that this is the first time that I have broken the words that I wrote in a previous chapter to such an extent. I apologize for that. As I said, I will cut the original update rate in half so such a long period without chapters won't happen again.**

**(Last updated on 6-21-09. This update is on 9-20-09. Exactly 91 days.)**

"**The Greatest Barrier."**

A spiraling cloud of white smoke shot out of Hinata's hand and down the gorge. The cloud scattered into a thin mist when the summoned creature stopped midair. It beat the large wings and rose up to Hinata without the sound of displaced air to be heard. The small hooked beak along with the large round eyes and face identified the animal as an owl summon around the size a horse would be. The bird of prey narrowed its eyes slightly at Hinata and spoke with a distinctively feminine voice. "I believe that you were told to refrain from summoning any of our clan in the height of your day. Even though we live where we are more likely to be summoned during our waking hours, we still do not like the bright sun in our sensitive eyes." She turned her deceptively flexible neck to survey the area. "The large and malformed human and the one on that strange white bird appear to be the most hostile. I presume that I am needed against your airborne foe, considering that the large one is distracted by that _salamander_."

One of the Arashi clones immediately stepped in front of the large raptor. "As I expected of one of the owl clan; you are very perceptive. Despite Hinata being the one with the owl contract, I will be your partner for defeating him."

Deidara looked down from his white perch at the newly summoned bird. "That owl could take away the aerial advantage I have, hmm. I can't fully express my art with that hindrance." He reached into the pouch behind him and began to eat away at the white clay with the mouth on his palm. Deidara smiled widely. "Only an attack of artistic irony would be appropriate here, hmm." When his hand spit out the clay, it took on the shape of a very tiny owl; which he dropped down the chasm. He formed a hand-seal, which enlarged the owl to the size of a normal one and animated it.

Arashi did not let a single one of these actions out of his sight. "He's not exactly very discrete with his plans. Fukuro-san, would you please raise your elevation by half a meter." The owl did what was asked without complaint. Arashi quickly formed some hand-seals. "Lightning Style; Volt Shot"

The owl watched the white recreation of her species fall into the deep chasm. She then turned her large eyes to Arashi. "I shall accept you as a temporary partner for this. My name is Tsukura."

The Arashi bowed slightly in respect. "I am Arashi Ayama." He straitened himself with a smirk. "I just got an idea." He faced the other clone. "COULD YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT TSUKURA'S SENSITIVE EYES?"

The clone smiled and formed a half tiger hand-seal with each hand. He held one at his waist and the other over his head. "Hidden Mist Jutsu." In a matter of seconds, the group found the entire area darkened by a thick mist a fair distance over their heads. It was more like cloud cover than the usual jutsu.

Sasori observed this for only a second, before a stream of fire from Dokuyoke forced him to leap back. "What is this man? Not only has he sent two Shadow Clones and a middle level summon, but his clones are capable of performing jutsu in such difficult ways. For what reason would he waste the chakra to put his mist all the way up there."

He leapt back from the salamander's thick tail while firing off some poison laced senbon. Only two lodged themselves into his skin. The beast smiled widely and slammed his tail onto the ground, removing the two needles and a few others. "WHAT~ WAS THAT? THE POISON DIDN'T EVEN ENTER MY BLOOD STREAM!" Dokuyoke lowered his stance in a provoking way and lowered his voice considerably. "Come on~. I want to feel those exhilarating fluids in every fiber of my being. YOUR POISOIN IS THE BEST I'VE FELT IN YEARS~!"

Sasori actually let out a sigh. "I feel like I am fighting against Hidan."

Tsukura glared at the loud amphibian. "What an unsightly beast." She then turned her attention to Arashi. "Let's begin. I don't want to hear that _creature's _ramblings any longer than I have too."

Arashi chuckled at what the owl said. "It seems that this owl doesn't like salamanders." He performed a light, by his standards, hop onto her back. The two took off in that instant, only to have to dodge a group of Deidara's explosives. The two lifted upwards as Hinata slid towards the forest from her evasive jump. "HEY, HINTATA-CHAN! MAKE SURE TO KEEP AN EYE ON DOKUYOKE! HE AIMS FOR HIS OPPONENT, BUT DOESN'T CARE WHO HE HITS!"

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "At least he gave me a warning." She ducked under some stray kunai from Sasori's attacks. She turned to the large combatants and ran into the fray.

Arashi and Tsukura approach Deidara, who focused entirely upon sending countless avian explosives towards them. Any of the ones Tsukura couldn't dodge, Arashi zapped. "What would your plan be Arashi-san?"

"Let's try to get upwind of him. Don't attack right away though. I want to talk to him for a bit."

"You are very clever Arashi-san. It is wise to use the sky to our advantage. I'll circle around while you defend."

"I won't disarm the ones you can dodge easily."

"Fair enough."

As he sent off bombs, Deidara quickly took notice of what they were doing. "They are trying to circle around me, hmm." He flashed a few teeth. "That won't be enough to deal with me, hmm."

Arashi noticed him quickly switch to smaller and more numerous explosives as well as start moving down the space the bridge crossed. "Look's like I'm not the only one with ideas. I wonder what he is planning." They soon reached the position Arashi wanted. He began speaking loud enough for Deidara to hear. "That is an interesting jutsu you have there. It really took me a while to understand it fully. Although that is comparing it to when I understand a jutsu instantly."

Deidara began smiling happily. "So, you have begun to understand the unique beauty of my art."

"I should avoid angering him if I want to keep talking for this moment. Your jutsu is indeed unique among other earth elemental jutsu. It manages to use the specific attribute of earth elemental chakra in a different way from other powerful earth style jutsu."

Deidara blinked in confusion. "Specific attribute? This is the first time I have heard of that, hmm."

Tsukura turned her head to face Arashi while hovering in place. "This is my first time hearing of specific attributes as well."

"Well, it isn't exactly common knowledge. In truth, all methods of learning how to master each element are based upon the attribute that applies to that element. It is these attributes, and not the elements themselves, that determine how the attacks match up against each other. Of course, the attributes still apply to the element in an understandable way. Let's start with wind style, and work our way around to lightning. The specialized attribute for wind style can be called distortion."

Tsukura looked at Arashi with confusion. "That is a bit odd. I was thinking that the attribute would have something to do with cutting."

Arashi chuckled. "True, but cutting doesn't describe the large jutsu that cause mayhem on the battlefield. Distortion can occur on a small or large scale. The smaller scale jutsu are the ones that you see _distorting_ the connections between something's top half from its lower half."

"What an eloquent way to put that Arashi-san." The sarcasm dripped off her beak.

"Well~, that's true; but back to the point. The attribute for fire style is expansion. This style is always trying to spread itself into more area. This is why it has an advantage against wind, since wind style makes it spread more than it would usually. The weakness is further accented when the fire expands back into the wind, adsorbing that energy. The attribute for water style is actually restriction. It is like how the Hidden Mist Jutsu _restricts_ the amount of light reaching a person's eyes. Some of the best water style jutsu are the ones that help stop a foe in their tracks. How else do you think those mist shinobi are able to do much of anything with those slow swords they tend to use. Of course, fire style does poorly because of how water style restricts its expansion."

Deidara smirked. "Finally, it's time to here about my own jutsu, hmm."

"The specific attribute for earth style jutsu is consumption, which is where the uniqueness of your jutsu comes into play. At first glance, your jutsu seems to break out of this rule and become harder to understand."

Deidara only laughed and held his hands out in confidence. "That's easy, hmm. The beauty of my art consumes the hearts of anyone who experiences it."

A sweat drop formed on the back of Arashi's head. "He is either a baka or delusional. I am guessing delusional. I am talking about something that is actually tangible; not a person's feelings. The thing that is most often consumed is chakra. Most earth elemental jutsu are always trying to take in chakra from external sources until the earth nature chakra is taken out or runs out. This is a key factor in tiring out your opponent. Of course, your jutsu uses the consumption attribute differently. The secret lies in that clay. Just earlier, I was able to get a glimpse of the clay before you put it into those strange mouths in your palms. I am guessing that the clay you are using is made of a special mineral that can hold onto earth elemental chakra for months at a time. The clay works as a filter that holds back unnecessary energies so that the chakra the stored earth elemental chakra absorbs becomes highly concentrated. That is why you need to process the clay internally. If you didn't, all that chakra that is filtered out will be lost into the air. That would be a quick way to tire out. You finish the jutsu off by forming a hand-seal to remove the earth chakra, letting all that energy escape at once."

Deidara started sneering at Arashi while clenching his fists. "How did he do that? It took me a year to develop my jutsu, and this man figures it out in a manner of seconds." In a single instant, the image of Arashi's blue eyes were replaced by a blood red with three black marks. This only further served to anger Deidara. "Why does this man remind me of him~? Tell me… why are your eyes like that?"

Arashi's expression became serious from how Deidara was glaring at him. "It is my doujutsu." Deidara twitched at that word. "My Keikegan allows me to precisely gauge the use and type of chakra a person is using. With it, I always make sure that I am not lacking info on my foes power level. I can see that you have something against doujutsu. I guess I have to make sure you don't go after Hinata-chan, considering that she has one too."

"I will kill him."

"I forgot to tell you how your jutsu is ultimately inefficient. Because of what the end result of your attack is, the restricting attribute is more effective against your jutsu than it would be against normal earth style. You might as well be using paper bombs that are weak against lightning style."

His eyes widened in rage. "I WILL MAKE HIM SUFFER THE POWER OF MY ART!" He suddenly tossed up a small clay figure and formed a hand-seal, surrounding it in smoke. "TAKE THIS!"

The smoke cleared to reveal a clay dragon with blocky features and a tail made of multiple bulbs. "Wait, I haven't finished my explanation yet blast-head."

Deidara jumped up to the new clay creation and sent the other at the pair. "DIE!"

"Volt Shot." Five beams of lightning pierced the large bird, reducing it to a motionless husk. "Calm down. You haven't even given me a chance to tell you that I know of an earth jutsu that uses the absorption and release of chakra more powerfully and efficiently than your's does; Or even about lightning style for that matter."

Deidara's eyes became even more enraged. "HE DARES~ TO BELITTLE _MY_ ART!"

Tsukura let out a sigh the best way owls can. "I am guessing that you are trying to anger him."

Arashi chuckled. "I am a master of taunting. Playing with this guy's head is easy." One of the bulbs that made up the dragon's tail disappeared. In a quick instant, the dragon opened its mouth and fired a mini-dragon. On reflex, Tsukura dived out of the bomb's flight path. The projectile followed with perfect precision. "I've got this. Lightning Style, Shockwave." A field of electricity burst from Arashi's hands. As soon as the mini-dragon passed through the field, it turned into harmless sludge."

"This is getting dangerous for me Arashi-san."

"Hai. There is also the fact that I am running out of chakra. I am going to jump up to him."

"You plan to fight him alone."

"Hai, I will stand a better chance of accomplishing my goal up close. I suggest that you watch what happens from very high up. I cannot promise your safety unless you do that or if you return to where you came from."

Tsukura suddenly felt a great amount of anxiety from the Arashi-clone. "H-hai. What is going to happen here?"

"Make sure you brace yourself Tsukura." Arashi began some hand-seals as two of the bulbs disappeared. As soon as that dragon opened its mouth, Arashi bolted off of the owls back. "Lightning Style, Volt Charge."

"DIE~!" Two mini-dragons were fired from the main one in rapid succession. Deidara glared at Arashi for a half-second before becoming surprised. "His body… looks like a blur. Impossible. It must be a genjutsu."

As soon as the explosives got close to him, they turned to sludge; nearly contacting Arashi. He flipped for an elegant landing on Deidara's dragon; the blurring stopping in that moment. The blond threw a punch without hesitation, which was caught easily. The Arashi gave a look that froze Deidara in place. "You could never hope to best me in taijutsu. I am in an entirely different world from you. A world that someone with a one tracked mind like your's could never hope to grasp. Do you even understand that I am a Shadow Clone? Someone like you could never defeat a genius who also has an unbreakable drive. You can't even be called second rate.

Deidara let out a wide hook that would be easily dodged. It hit nether less, reducing the Arashi to smoke. "HE LET ME HIT HIM!" In his rage, Deidara decided to lash out at the nearest enemy target. In just a moment, a mini-dragon was launched at Hinata and the Arashi standing next to her.

**Minutes earlier.**

Sasori stood with Hinata in front and Dokuyoke at his side. His scorpion tail hung limply, broken by Dokuyoke's powerful jaws. Many of his weapons and puppet parts lay broken on the ground thanks to Hinata's chakra blades. "This battle has turned out far more difficult than I anticipated. That salamander is completely unaffected by quantities of poison that could kill something thrice his size. As for the Hyuga, I haven't even gotten close to hitting her. Not only does she have the eyes and reflexes to deal with my traps, the few attacks that could hit her are reduced to useless scrap. These two were born to fight me. It doesn't look like Deidara is having much luck against that other one either. Even if I used the 100 puppets I used to bring down a country, I have a sickening feeling that it still would be futile. I should cut my losses the first chance I get." He narrowed his eyes when he saw the other Arashi appear next to Hinata. "Not good."

The Arashi leaned into her ears and started whispering to her. She stepped back in surprise seconds latter. "Are you sure Arashi-shishō? I am not sure if I am ready to use that again."

"You may be forced to face shinobi like these guys in the near future. You may be _forced_ into situations when that jutsu is your best bet out. You must get used to using it."

"Hai; I understand Arashi-shishō." She started up a short series of hand seals. "Earth Style, Stone Gauntlet." She lowered to her knees and pushed her hands through the earth as if it were water. When she stood back up, her hands were coated in a quarter-foot thick layer of compressed earth all the way to her elbows.

The Arashi looked over to Dokuyoke with a serious expression. He started to make some hand signals that only the summoned salamander recognized. "So he wants me to make this puppet user run away. I guess that is the end of my fun. It's isn't every day that I get a fight like this." He then caught sight of some new hand signals. "Oh~…I'm allowed to give chase as long as I like." The salamander suddenly put himself between Sasori and the other two and forced the puppet user to hop back with a stream of flames. "NOW~, SHOW ME HOW FAST YOU CAN RUN WITH THAT PORKER BODY!" Another stream of flames forced Sasori to hop further back.

"Tch, looks like they _want_ me to run away. No matter. This is the last time I will have to hear about Deidara's _art _ever again." Sasori turned around and began to run away. "You're on your own."

"THAT'S IT BIG BOY~! RUN LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!" The salamander began laughing manically. "_BECAUSE IT DOES~, BWHAHAHA!_" Dokuyoke stomped after Sasori while spewing fire and laughing like a mental patient.

Arashi then turned to Hinata. "I want you to use it against Deidara."

Hinata could only develop a massive sweat-drop while staring at the comical scene. "I think that's obvious. I was supposed to use it against both, but now there is only one target." She turned to the remaining foe just in time to see him punch the stationary Arashi clone in the face. "There's no way he couldn't dodge that." Without warning, the large dragon faced her and fired off a miniature version of itself. With no time think about it, she put both hands together and began to sweep them through the air. The stone gauntlet started to drain off of her arms and into the air before becoming stationary. Time moved in slow motion as any close streams of earth reached out and bonded. Although it felt like minutes, Hinata created a concave barrier facing the incoming projectile in the shape of a human hand. Hinata looked down with her hair covering her eyes in shadows. "Earth Style: Eight Trigrams, Infinite Palm."

Deidara smiled widely as his dragon charged into the feeble looking barrier and exploded. It took him half a second to realize that the smoke from the explosion was half the size it should be. His anger was quickly sobered when the explosion reversed to an implosion, revealing the intact hand. When he examined the hand, it looked like light itself was being pulled in. He could even feel the chakra in his dragon being drained away. It truly seemed like he was staring down the greatest natural force in existence; a black hole. His body screamed at him to get out of there as soon as possible, but his instincts told him that it was already too late. In what he knew were his last moments, some words he only just recently heard ran through his mind. "`You haven't even given me a chance to tell you that I know of an earth jutsu that uses the absorption and release of chakra more powerfully and efficiently than your's does.`" His eyes widened in realization as all he could see was the hand and the bending light around it. "This could be the art that I've tried to achieve my entire life, hmm." He smiled widely, spread his arms, and chuckled. "Let me go out with a bang, hmmmm." He was enveloped in a bright light with a slight brown tint wearing a crazed expression.

As soon as the light faded, the hand was gone; leaving behind a very exhausted Hinata. Before she could collapse, the Arashi clone was at her side with his Chakra Transfer Jutsu active. "The first time I saw that jutsu, I could not fathom how it became so powerful. Now I fully understand. When watching the Infinite Palm in action, I noticed how the chakra that made up the jutsu gradually became harder and harder to see. It's exactly like what happened with my fight against Jiraiya. Thanks to his explanation, I understand now that because of the highly concentrated consumption attributed chakra, the Infinite Palm is able to absorb even natural chakra at a rapid pace. It also reaches out for any source of animal chakra as well, draining any human dry in a matter of seconds. Any attack using chakra wouldn't last long either. Then there is when the energy is released. Thanks to the natural chakra, the amount of power released is ridiculously greater than that of a normal jutsu. I also see that the attack part not only possess consumption attributes, but also the attributes of any jutsu it absorbs chakra from. This time, it was pure earth chakra though. The damage caused by that light exemplifies this."

True to his thoughts, the damage caused really did look this way. Starting from the other side of the gorge, it looked like some enormously massive creature took a scoop out of the land, chewed it all up down to the last large branch, and then spit it out down the middle of the carnage. The damage spanned numerous acres down a line that eventually thinned out about a kilometer away.

Arashi looked back at Hinata's face seriously. "It's too bad that the jutsu also tries to consume large amounts of the user's chakra as well, though it is probably this chakra that keeps the light beam facing away from her. Still, I fear that the jutsu would have killed her regardless on the first time she used it if it wasn't a lightning jutsu I used against it then. Any other element, and the Infinite palm would have been stable long enough to drain her dry. If I used a water style jutsu, the restrictive properties would have allowed the jutsu to hold on to the absorbed chakra for much longer and to consume more as well. That is the main reason I put that extra energy in putting my Hidden Mist Jutsu high in the air like that." His serious expression turned into a smile. "This is a terrifying jutsu I helped create. When I saw this girl using what is now her Chakra Blade Barrier, I thought I found a gem. In truth, I found a diamond. What a fitting title for someone possessing the greatest barrier in existence." With that thought, the clone disappeared as the last of his chakra filtered into Hinata.

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**There are countless supper powered jutsu in all of the stories of fan-fiction, and this one is way up there. This may surprise many of you who remember some earlier chapters, but this chapter was completely unplanned up until a week ago. Even the whole attributes thing is that recent. I'm sure that plenty of you are wondering what the attribute for lightning style is now. There is actually a clue in this chapter. Good luck figuring it out. You have two weeks to do it.**

**Next Chapter: Snake Hunt.**


	51. Snake Hunt: Chapter 51

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized speech signifies emphasis put on words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." With the summoning jutsu, Hinata summoned a member of the owl summons. It was quickly agreed that Arashi would work with the owl in fighting Deidara as Hinata went after Sasori. It didn't take Arashi long to turn the fight into a conversation. From there, he went into a speech about the different attributes that applies to the chakra natures. When he got to earth, some of the descriptions of Deidara's jutsu were spot on and infuriating for the bomb user. He then launched an all out attack that resulted in Arashi easily getting behind him. As this happened, Hinata and Dokuyoke were having an easy time holding Sasori off. The other Arashi came in and told his summon to scare away Sasori after he whispered something into Hinata's ear. With the puppet user gone, Hinata started up her strongest jutsu. All that remained of this attack was pure carnage.)

* * *

**10-4-09**

**I wonder how many of you bothered to read the note saying that the update rate has been cut in half. Unfortunately for my story, the long absence put a dent into how many readers I get with each chapter. I may never get those numbers back.**

"**Snake Hunt"**

Arashi leapt through the trees while making sure not to loose sight of Orochimaru and Kabuto. "I let myself be a bit too relaxed this time. I thought that I had a good hold on this situation."

**Flashback.**

The clang of metal echoed in a constant stream within the forest. An emotionless gaze met with an expression of amusement. "Kukuku, it has been a while since someone has crossed swords with me for this long. It hasn't happened since that old fool Hokage."

"You place too much confidence upon the simple quality of your sword. When faced with a weapon able to face your blade and a swordsman able to match your speed, it is obvious how unpolished your kenjutsu skills truly are." Reacting to a twitch in Orochimaru's eye and a small spike in chakra, Arashi caught a snake head coming from his hidden hand. "You will need to do better than that."

"Kukuku, apparently so. Perhaps this." Arashi tilted his head just enough to dodge another snake out of the Sannin's mouth. Before the serpent could circle around for another strike, Arashi grabbed this one by its neck with the same hand that was still holding the first. Because of the connection, this pulled Orochimaru off balance. He took advantage with a solid punch in the face with his sword wielding hand. Using this momentum and the snakes, Arashi swung Orochimaru through a large tree before letting him fly. The Sannin landed against another tree and released a bit of red spit before glaring at Arashi. "Now~ I am mad."

"Becoming enraged will not help you in this fight." The snake snarled and charged with speed far beyond most jonin. Arashi stopped the strike without budging an inch.

"You are too confident child."

"I am in my thirties for your information. Twenty or more years of extra experience isn't quite enough here; especially with how your attempts to extend your lifespan are weakening you."

Orochimaru's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

"From Jiraiya."

The Sannin glared at Arashi's cold eyes more fiercely. "How~ irritating. This must mean you are with Konoha."

Arashi blocked a strike to his neck. "Not yet, but I will be." In his first true show of offense, Arashi unleashed an overhead slash that sent Orochimaru through the thick branch, even though the blow was blocked. "You are a sad being Orochimaru. You searched for ways to extend your life, and you failed miserably."

The snake user smiled. "Kukuku; you talk as if you understand a different way to obtain eternal life."

"I do not." The serpent's grin grew. "But I know of someone who has come closer than you have without having to sacrifice other lives for more years."

The single moment of victory that was felt was instantly squashed. Orochimaru clenched his teeth tightly. "Explain yourself."

"It is rather simple. You appear to think that the secret to an extended life is within ninjutsu or fūinjutsu. In truth, it lies within taijutsu. More specifically, complete understanding on how the human body works."

"DON'T FOOL WITH ME!"

Arashi had no reaction in his emotionless state. "I agree. It's time to stop fooling around now." A massive wall of snakes spread out from Orochimaru's hand. Arashi held his sword at the ready as it started humming. With one powerful swing, all of them were blown back. Arashi managed to catch a glimpse of his foe running away under the cover of the large group of snakes. The limb under his feet cracked as Arashi gave chase. Sensing killer intent, Arashi looked left and saw a net pulled along with kunai at the edges. Just as he sliced this to pieces, he had to do the same to more kunai pulling explosive tags. Although the explosion missed him greatly, it did well in giving Orochimaru more cover. Frustrated, Arashi let his Streaming Seikūken fade. "Where did all that come from? Certainly he didn't have enough time to set all that up. He must have been more prepared than I expected."

**Flashback End.**

"I can't believe that I let someone get away from me so easily. Orochimaru certainly isn't the strongest person I've fought, but he is the trickiest. I still find it difficult to believe that he was able to pull that off all by himself. Either Kabuto was able to recover from that blow I gave him faster than I expected, or I was focused to the point that my sense of time was off." He sighed. "Well~, all I have to do is catch up to them. Everything else is still going according to plan.."

Another thick tree limb shattered under Arashi's feet. As he ran, he noticed a teenaged girl on the ground with kunai in places that would quickly kill her if she doesn't get help. The girl reached up to Arashi with a desperate plea. Arashi ignored this and continued chasing after Orochimaru at full speed. "Three reasons I won't fall for that. I know that body has been dead if the chakra decay is something to go by. Also, the only chakra there is Kabuto's and residue from a sealing. Finally, that girl didn't have any form of life in her eyes. That foolish attempt to buy time merely gave me a chance to catch up."

The chase continued with Arashi continuously gaining ground of the fleeing pair. Kabuto adjusted his glasses and smirked. "It appears that my little decoy was not able to hold him for very long."

"Kuku, it's more like he ignored it completely. I have to admire someone who can toss away a life to obtain his final goal. I am starting to actually like~ him."

Kabuto chuckled. "That's good Orochimaru-sama. I was afraid that you found my skills lacking in some way."

"No need to worry about that~ Kabuto-kun. If I hadn't seen you set her up yourself, I would have used one of my kunai to send her out of her misery."

"I thank you for your praise Orochimaru-sama. I've had a lot of practice."

Just as they reached a river bank, they had to dodge a large fireball coming up from behind them. In this chance, Arashi jumped off of the center of a tree with enough force to shatter it to wood chips. This put him a short distance away from those two. Both of them faced Arashi, ready to fight. "You two are a pretty annoying pair. It took me a bit longer to catch up with you then it usually would for me."

"Kukuku. I have to say that you intrigue me. Even though you say you will join that _weak _village, you didn't hesitate to through away that girl's life just for obtaining your goal."

Arashi shook his head in dismay. "You must be kidding me. I knew the instant I laid eyes on that decoy that she was simply a dead body that was animated with a jutsu. One of the advantages of having a doujutsu. I just found it irritating that you would kill an innocent girl just for the purpose of being a decoy. There is no reason for any innocent person to be killed."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses once again. "It's too bad that you feel that way. I was planning to get a replacement for her as soon as we get to our next base. I may get lucky enough to run into a good one by chance."

Arashi started to glare at Kabuto fiercely. "Now that makes me mad. I wonder if your medical skills are enough to counter an attack made fore people like you. Your death won't make up for those lives if those skills aren't enough to counter my attack.."

"Kukuku; speaking of death, you don't seem to care if that Hyuga girl of your's dies."

Just before he could talk, Arashi's eyes widened a bit. His expression then changed to a smirk. "Looks like the fight Hinata-chan is in is going according to plan. She should be unleashing her most powerful jutsu right now. You can see it if you look over the trees. Let's have a short truce to watch." With that, Arashi jumped up to the trees and turned his back to the missing-nin pair.

Out of pure curiosity, Orochimaru used his specialized jutsu to extend his neck so that his head was over the tree line. Not even a second after he got a full view of the gorge area, a massive barely brown light began to shine. As quickly as it showed, the light just disappeared as if it were collapsing in on itself. He was then able to see the level of carnage that light caused. "Fabulous~~. That was absolutely fabulous~." He grinned widely and went into a fit of hysterical laughter. "WHAT AN ABSOLUTLY MARVELOUS~ JUTSU! I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT INCONSPICUOUS HYUGA HAVING SUCH AMAZING~ POTENTIAL! I HAVE~ TO HAVE HER! That jutsu could be at the same level as Sasuke-kun's Karin jutsu."

Arashi turned his eyes towards the Sannin. "Aren't you getting ahead of yourself Orochimaru? In case you forgot, she is my disciple. You would have to get past me before you could ever think about getting to her since we are never too far apart. Not only that, but my mission with her ends in half a year, after which she will be back in Konoha. Last of all, she will never want to go to you. You haven't a chance."

"THEN YOU MUST DIE!" The sword sticking out of Orochimaru's mouth was immediately stopped by the flat of Arashi's blade.

"You will certainly have to do better than that Orochimaru. I have avoided far~ more deadly attacks with ease." Arashi spun and swatted away a snake coming out of Orochimaru's sleeve. "That's a bit better. You were pretty fast at getting the rest of your body up here." Arashi placed his hand on his foe's shoulder and smiled. "Lightning Style; Taser." The electricity traveled down the Sannin's body and forced him to start convulsing. A powerful kick sent Orochimaru into the ground on the other side of the river. With that, Arashi charged straight for Kabuto. The master smirked as he connected the back of his blade to Kabuto's scalpel. "Isn't this how the fight between you two and I began.

Kabuto also smirked as light glinted on his glasses, even though he was obviously having trouble holding off Arashi's strength despite the better leverage his smaller weapon naturally provided. "Don't expect to get as much time from Orochimaru-sama as you got with me."

"Ten seconds is more than enough."

Without any form of explanation or reasoning, Kabuto suddenly found himself turned around and falling backwards. "How did he~?"

"Lightning Style; Taser." Kabuto's body convulsed with the half second Arashi's hand was on him. "Shockwave of Forgetfulness." With precise timing, Arashi slammed the sides of Kabuto's head with the palms of his hands. The young shinobi with skills beyond most jonin fell.

**In the high skies not too far away.**

Tsukura soared through the skies while keeping an eye on the events the true Arashi was creating. Even as she tried to focus on the fight against Kabuto and Orochimaru, she was still deep in thought about what just recently happened with the girl she was holding carefully within her talons. "That was the most unbelievable thing I have experienced in my life. I doubt that even our queen could manage such a powerful attack without using up nearly all her chakra. This girl is one to watch." She turned her attention back to the ground. "Her shishō is one to watch too. I could hear everything he said, and he planned all of that too perfectly. That clone was able to write a message telling me to take Hinata to the sky and keep her there until she wakes. It's almost like he knew ahead of time that that man would want to take Hinata for himself. He has her safety in mind at all times." Tsukura's warning signals went off as her senses of sight and hearing picked up some movement in the air. A single flap moved her out of the way of a ridiculously long sword that was growing even longer. The sword started moving towards her suddenly. With no way to dodge, she awaited the blow. Luckily, the blade stopped just before touching her beak. Tsukura looked down to see the real Arashi holding off the base of Orochimaru's sword with his own. "He truly is impressive."

"You don't seem to have a very good memory Orochimaru. Did you forget that I will not let you get to Hinata-chan? It's foolish of you to think I won't hold true to my words."

Orochimaru smirked widely despite the sword sticking out of his mouth. "It's only fair. You took someone from me~. I should do the same to you."

"You really are a fool if you think what I just did warrants true retribution. You have taken countless numbers of people from those who care about them. Kabuto just happens to be just a very important pawn to you. The people you take tend to be the types of pieces no one wants to lose."

The expression on his white face turned sour. "It appears that the two of use could never come to any form of agreement."

Arashi's smirk grew. "That's not entirely true. We both believe that power is a very important thing to have. For someone who is constantly fighting to protect others, they have to make sure that they are strong enough for themselves and~ for the one they are protecting. I guess that is why Konoha shinobi tend to be stronger than some others. Others like you."

"I AM FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN ANY OF THOSE WEAKLINGS!"

"Perhaps the ones who are younger than you and lack your experience; or the ones who are too old to be very strong anymore." These words only added fuel to the fire of Orochimaru's growing frustration and anger.

"I WILL~ DESTROY THAT VILLAGE!"

"Before any of that, I would like to ask you why Kabuto even chose to join you. Was it because of all the medical opportunities you gave him, or was it something else."

The Sannin glared and growled. "Why should you care?"

"I am curious. I really want to know the primary reason Kabuto came to take a liking to you. It can't be because of your strength."

"Humph, that's exactly it. Those with power are attracted to those with even more power."

Arashi developed a small smile. "That's good to know."

"Enough of this dribble. It is time for you to die." Out of the corner of his eye, Orochimaru saw Kabuto starting to stand up. "It appears this man doesn't have the guts to kill someone who can't defend himself. How~ foolish." Orochimaru quickly shortened his sword to normal length and pushed Arashi back, thinking of nothing but giving Kabuto a good chance to eliminate the annoying man.

Just as Kabuto looked at them, Arashi smirked widely. "Aren't you forgetting one very important thing Orochimaru as you pushed me back? … In terms of physical strength, I far surpass you." Orochimaru tried to back away, realizing how he fell into a trap. "Naïve." The Sannin found himself flying backwards with no control over his fall. After rolling to his feet, Orochimaru looked to see that Arashi's eyes seemed to be glazed over in a way resembling a wise blind man. "Only the man who can realize the differences between himself and his foe can turn out victorious in the end."

Orochimaru glared at Kabuto with anger. "_What_ do you think you are doing? ATTACK HIM!"

Kabuto merely looked at him with eyes showing no form of recognition and acknowledgement. "Who… are you?"

Those three words struck Orochimaru with the force similar to the fists heading straight for him. "CHEST!" Like Arashi yelled, the powerful fist struck Orochimaru's chest. "APAPAPAPAPAPAPA~!" Arashi charged forward like a wild beast and grabbed Orochimaru's head and slammed the snake's face into his knee. This was followed with a stable punch that doubled the white shinobi over rather than sending him flying. This was followed by a series of rapid punches that struck many vital points. "CHOWA~ CHOWA-CHOWA-CHOWA!" The final blow struck Orochimaru's back and sent him face first into the water. The man stopped with just his feet sticking out at the shore.

Kabuto watched this take place with wide eyes. "This man is amazing."

Arashi smiled his normal way as he looked at his work. "It sure has been a while since I had fun like that. I really do wonder how this man managed to keep causing so much trouble all over." Arashi's eyes widened as something changed. "The chakra in his feet is disappearing." Arashi ran over to the body and pulled the feet. What he found was an empty husk that used to be Orochimaru. "I guess that this answers my question. This is probably his way of shedding his skin like a snake. Since the water was hiding his body, I couldn't see much." Arashi tossed the body back into the water and looked at Kabuto. "I guess that I have to deal with him real quick."

**

* * *

And there goes yet another chapter. This was mostly just set up for the next chapter.**

**Next Chapter: Snake's Den.**


	52. Snake's Den: Chapter 52

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sections both underlined and italicized are quotes that a character said earlier in this story's timeline._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Arashi faced off against Orochimaru one on one. Thanks to his lax behavior, the snake was able to slither away for a bit. This led to a short chase where Arashi had to ignore a fake injured girl. After reaching Orochimaru at a river bed, his clones started disappearing. He managed to get Orochimaru to watch Hinata's jutsu, which impressed him. Reacting instantly, Arashi blocked the sword and sent the snake away. After that, Arashi quickly used his Shockwave of Forgetfulness on Kabuto. He then had to stop Orochimaru from attacking Tsukura. After some conversation, Arashi was able to sent Orochimaru into the water with some attacks inspired by four of the masters. Orochimaru used that chance to escape leaving Arashi to speak with Kabuto.)

* * *

**10-18-09**

**Just to let people know, I have added a new writing rule up at the top. Readers should familiarize themselves with this one as well. I will be using it in the next chapter.**

"**Snake's Den"**

Arashi walked up to Kabuto with a smile on his face. "I hope that you enjoyed that little show Kabuto. That Orochimaru is pretty good at running away."

Kabuto smiled. "So you are saying that my name is Kabuto."

"Hai. You are Kabuto Yakushi. Before the case of the amnesia that you seem to have right now, you were known as a very skilled medical shinobi."

The memory-wiped man blinked in confusion. "A shinobi. I can hardly imagine myself being something like that."

"You don't seem as skeptical as you are saying. It's hard to tell If his memories are wiped or not. He could simply be buying time. Still, there was when he didn't obey Orochimaru's command."

"Is something wrong? You appear to be deep in thought."

"He's observant too. A born shinobi I'll bet. I am just thinking about your loss of memory. You are behaving much differently than other cases of amnesia that I have seen."

"So you have experience with amnesia. I am starting to think that you are the reason I can't remember anything."

"Avoiding the subject won't work on this guy. Interesting that he is naturally able to counter my conversation style. He could have been dangerous if he became stronger than Orochimaru. You are right."

Kabuto laughed nervously in response. "That was just a random guess. I didn't think that it would be true."

"Well, I don't really care if you know. In truth I am having trouble telling if your memories are gone or not. This leaves me with a bit of a dilemma. The main reason I wiped your memory is because you tend to be a cause of many unnecessary deaths. Since the battle was going my way, I had plenty of freedom to take this option. Striking the precise points on the head is very difficult. I am still not sure if it worked though."

"Well~, I hope you don't plan on killing me after going through the trouble."

"No, but there is something that I want from you."

"What is that?"

Hand-seals flashed for an instant. "Chakra Drain Jutsu." Arashi pressed his right hand into Kabuto's center.

Kabuto's eyes widened in surprise. "What is this? I can't back away. I'm trying, but my muscles won't move." His energy started to drain away. "I can't even fall down. It's as if his presence is keeping me up." To prove this theory, Kabuto fell as soon as Arashi stepped away.

"Thankfully, you had quite a bit of chakra to offer me. Now I can go after Orochimaru." With a high wave, Arashi directed Tsukura to follow him as he dashed down the river while pulling out one of his chakra restoring pills. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." The clone stayed behind as the original searched for any clue as to where Orochimaru went. He quickly noticed chakra residue from trying to cover such evidence. He blasted to his left, landing on the top of the trees. He then waved for Tsukura to come down to him.

The large owl carefully dived towards Arashi while making sure that the G-forces wouldn't be too much for the unconscious Hinata. The dive took a full minute. "What is it Arashi-san?"

"You've had a pretty good bird's-eye view of this area. I think that our slithery friend went somewhere in this direction. I want to ask you if there are any areas where you think he would have any underground bases."

"There is a semi-large clearing ahead. That would be a good place for such a hideout. I could also see and hear the snake disturbing the trees in that direction."

"Your eyes and ears are amazing things Tsukura-chan. Seeing such a thing from that distance wouldn't be too hard for me; but hearing would be impossible. … Did you know that Hinata's team in Konoha is a tracking team?"

"If I am not mistaken, they tend to use dogs." She let out a huff of amusement. "It's time for me to show my group's superiority. You can carry Hinata."

"Wait a second. I want to bring back a bit of our old routine." Arashi quickly ran through a transformation jutsu. "Okay, now." Tsukura dropped Hinata into Arashi's waiting arms.

As the large owl climbed into the skies, she shook her head in bewilderment. "Why do the strongest humans have to be either eccentric or evil? Isn't there a normal one anywhere? … And what was with that transformation anyways? Doing that only served to waste a little of his chakra. Maybe it is someone that Hinata knows."

Arashi chuckled as he thought more about when Hinata will wake up rather than where Orochimaru was. "I could really go for some teasing. Perhaps a nice burst of chakra will wake her up." Arashi concentrated before sending a large yet safe burst of chakra into the back of Hinata's head.

The Hyuga's eyelids clenched before starting to slowly open. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw a blond haired head with black stripes on each cheek. "Naruto~-kun. This is a nice~ dream. It feels so~ real." She decided to focus on the sensations around her; the strong arms holding her, as well as the scent and the wind. Her eyes snapped open. "_Wind? Scent?_ ARASHI-SHISHŌ~!"

The burst of smoke was quickly blown away as Arashi started laughing. "It didn't take you long to figure that one out."

"Put me down!"

"But up is better." Without warning, Arashi tossed Hinata's body up into the air.

Reacting quickly, Hinata reached her hand out and grabbed a branch able to hold her weight. In a single stream of fluid motion, she swung herself to the tree tops Arashi was running on. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I JUST WOKE UP! THAT COULD HAVE KILLED ME!"

"If that could have killed you, then you would at least be injured right now. Since you are in perfect health, that little stunt I pulled couldn't have killed you."

"STILL, YOU COULD STOP DOING THOSE THINGS! I THINK THAT YOU'VE ACTUALLY GOTTEN WORSE!"

Arashi started running backwards so he could look Hinata in the eyes. "I have a good reason for that. That reason is that you have simply gotten that much stronger." Hinata developed a shocked expression. "You can think of my antics as a way to see how I gauge your strength. As you become stronger, more effective methods are required. I won't randomly toss challenges at you that you can't handle. You should really accept it as a way to train yourself to always expect the unexpected."

"You don't give me enough time to expect anything."

"Isn't what the word _always~ _is for."

She growled in frustration. "YOU'RE IMPOSIBLE!"

Arashi laughed. "I can't believe that you have forgotten what effect those kinds of words have on me."

Hinata's expression changed to a blank stare. "That's right. He takes them as a compliment. Can you tell me what we are doing right now?"

Arashi turned back to facing forward. "We are chasing after Orochimaru right now. It should be a good chance for you to put your Byakugan to use. Here is a little restoration pill you can use."

Hinata caught the small pill and swallowed it. "BYAKUGAN!" She focused on the chakra around her eyes and spread out her forward vision. Scanning the area only required slight turning of her head. "We are heading straight for him. He seems to be aware that we are following him."

"That's no problem. Among the three of us, it is very unlikely that he can lose us."

"Three~? Who else is there?"

"Tsukura. She hasn't gone back to where you summoned her from. She's actually right behind you."

Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin when she returned her Byakugan to a 360 degree vision. "How did you get there?"

"You underestimate the owl Hinata-chan. I believe that there are few animals, if any, better suited for the life of a shinobi than an owl. Their wings are designed precisely for making no sound when they fly, their eyes work well in low light and far distances, annd to top that off, they have ears that rival the abilities of bats."

"You are not exactly right Arashi-san. I am not among the owls whose ears are that good. You are talking about some of the smaller owl summons. I was born to have strong combat skills, but I can still use my chakra to further enhance my senses whenever I need to. This is why it is very common for Kumo tracking teams to be given a contract for summoning owls. Your's will be the first Konoha team we have been teamed with though."

Arashi chuckled. "Don't you mean to say that Hinata is the first shinobi outside of Kumo to summon your kind for~ _insert number of years_?"

Tsukura nodded. "It was around 80 years." She then blinked a few times as she focused ahead. "I just realized that we are chasing after an S-classed missing-nin with such a relaxed atmosphere about us."

Hinata let out an amused laugh. "It is something you tend to get used to."

"I imagine so. These two do not cease to amaze me. The bond they share is something to behold. Being summoned in the middle of noon was well worth being able to see this. I am going for a better view." Tsukura soared back into the high skies.

Arashi chuckled. "I think she has taken a liking to us. Why else would she bother coming down just to go back up afterwards."

"Arashi-shishō, I think we should focus on Orochimaru right now. He could get away while you are distracting me."

"I doubt that." Arashi's expression turned solemn. "Hinata-chan, we are doing this in hopes of finding Sasuke Uchiha; am I right. I know you want to find him partly because he was a comrade, but mostly because that is something Naruto-kun wants."

Hinata spent a few seconds thinking. "Hai, I am hoping to bring Sasuke-san back so Naruto-kun doesn't have to risk his life for it."

"You know Hinata-chan; that kindness of yours is one of your strong points, but your empathy is not always at its best."

Her eyes widened. "What do you mean by that?"

"From the information I gathered about him back at the village in the short time before he left, I learned that he promised to bring Sasuke back. This is a personal goal he has set for himself. Don't you think that Naruto-kun's pride may take a blow when he realizes that he couldn't return someone he considered a brother, yet someone relatively uninvolved could?" Arashi looked back and saw Hinata in serious thought. "There, now if things go badly, she will feel more like she chose to leave Sasuke rather than feeling like she failed. Something tells me that Sasuke may be too far gone. That can happen when you are taught by someone who _promotes_ vengeance."

Tsukura once again dived in on them. "I saw him leave the edge of the forest. He is heading for a group of scattered rock formations."

Hinata reactivated her doujutsu then nodded. "Hai, I see him too. It's strange though. We have been chasing after him for a while now, but he hasn't tried anything yet."

"You're right Hinata-chan. I have a feeling that he has prepared his base with numerous traps." Arashi grinned. "That doesn't matter. We just have to go around any traps he may have."

"And how do you propose that we do that Arashi-san. It isn't hard to lead someone where you want to in an underground base."

Arashi chuckled and grinned widely. "Then we just have to create a skylight."

"You _can't_ be serious."

"No Tsukura-san, he is completely serious. I have seen that smile on his face too many times for me to think anything else."

"Do you even have that kind of strength Arashi-san?"

"I do, but I am thinking of pulling a little something from Tsunade's book of skills. I'm sure she won't mind me borrowing them for the moment."

Hinata's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "Y-y-you can d-do that?" Arashi just continued running while laughing in a cruel way. "I asked if you can really do that."

"Of course I can Hinata-chan. I just haven't done it very often because I don't like using other people's techniques without them knowing."

Hinata's expression blanked. "What about when you imitate those masters of yours."

"They~ taught me those things. It would be an insult to their teaching skills if I didn't do those things. Who else but the original user can utilize attacks they have used countless times before in the best way? What I have in mind is a little different from the original's technique though."

Hinata let out a sigh as they left the tree tops. She focused her Byakugan and began a quick search underground. Luckily, she found nothing impeding her vision. Hinata quickly found Orochimaru just as he 'slithered' deeper into the base. She followed the staircase to the hall on the lower floor. This hall led to a shocking discovery. "It…its Sasuke-san."

"Good, just tell me where to punch through." Hinata pointed to a spot one-hundred meters away. It only took Arashi a second to reach it. "YOU MIGHT WANT TO GET ON TSUKURA!" Just as Hinata's feet left the ground, Arashi's hands blurred. "LIGHTING STYLE: CRACKLING FIST!" Seconds after his fist pierced the ground, the earth below them started to tear apart as if the power of a full scale earthquake was focused on that single area. The damage was more than enough to break through two levels of the underground base. Now in the area Hinata saw, Arashi examined what used to be an intricately designed room. Seconds later, a line of rubble was shaken off by a large snake. Both Orochimaru and Sasuke were revealed behind it. "This is a disturbing sight." Arashi focused his Keikegan upon Sasuke's Sharingan. "You may not know me, but I know you. I have to say that the purple rope is not a look that suits you. The rest of your look makes you appear more imposing than the one you wore back in Konoha."

Sasuke's eyes didn't even twitch at the name of his old home. They instead turned to Orochimaru. The snake Sannin glared at Arashi in frustration for a few seconds before returning to his usual cool exterior. "You've caused me quite a bit of trouble. Not only did you take Kabuto-kun from me, you also rendered all the time spent on setting traps a waste."

Arashi found this amusing. "Those things happen. Hanzō beat that lesson into my head many times when I trained under him."

Those words sent Orochimaru into a state of shock. "Han…zō. HANZŌ OF AME?"

"Who else would I be talking about? He was responsible for a portion of my training, though I have to say that he only got me started. Five of the six extraordinary people that trained me after that would have been able to defeat him in one-on-one fights. The sixth wouldn't have found it ridiculously easy."

As Orochimaru took this in, Sasuke slowly approached Arashi in his arrogance. "From what you say, you must be strong. Allow me to test my own strength." In an instant, two electrified swords clashed. Arashi then pushed Sasuke's sword away with deliberate ease. Sasuke quickly jumped back and punched his sword arm a few times before shaking it. "My arm was completely paralyzed. He's not using much more chakra than I am, so how did that happen?"

"It felt like a shockwave passed through your arm, didn't it. …Just to let you know…_that_ is how you are supposed to use lighting element chakra."

Sasuke smiled with his eyes showing a form of enjoyment. "You should prove to be good practice for when I go after my brother."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I doubt that my fighting style is anything like his." Sasuke interrupted with another strike, which was blocked. The teen filched, backed off, and grabbed his arm. "I did not try to push my chakra into your arm when I blocked the first strike. I didn't give you any real hints." Sasuke struck his arm a few times. "Your arm shouldn't have any feeling back for a while"

Sasuke responded by sending out a blade of pure chakra out of his free hand. He then thrust the point multiple times. Arashi fluidly dodged the thrusts, going as far as to put a hand behind his back. That hand soon came out laced in chakra. "That's wind element."

Arashi struck the tip with his palm, followed by the chakra dispersing all the way to Sasuke's hand. The Uchiha recoiled in both surprise and pain. "That's a nice jutsu, but it is easily dispersed with a beam of wind chakra. If the vibration of your chakra was stronger, then defeating that sword wouldn't have been as easy for me."

"Vibration?"

"Of course. I believe you went through lightning manipulation training. Don't you remember how you had to support a kunai on solid rock and charge it with chakra so that gravity alone provides enough energy to sink the blade into the stone? It is the vibration that the lighting chakra causes that allows the kunai to pierce the rock. For the best lighting style jutsu, you must always keep the vibration of your chakra in mind."

Sasuke smirked. "Thanks for the advice." He charged again with his sword ready.

Arashi had time to sigh before sending out a large wave of pseudo killer intent. The moment of shock was more than enough time for Arashi to toss Sasuke out of the hole and block Orochimaru's sword. "Don't worry. I don't plan on wiping his memories if I can help it."

"Kukuku, then I should be thankful to what you've just done. Sasuke-kun has a perfect chance to escape."

"Not exactly. Hinata-chan is waiting for him. I wonder how a fight between our two disciples will turn out; though I seem to see very little of your own skills in Sasuke. That should make it more even than you against me."

"Tch, we shall see."

"I already wiped that river bank with you, which leaves watching those two. How does another temporary truce sound?"

Orochimaru growled in more frustration. "Only to prove that that girl's only strong point was that jutsu she used. I know for a fact that her talents are limited."

"Then this is a way to prove myself a better shishō who can offset talent with what he teaches. This should be fun." Arashi quickly went up to get a better view. His eyes were soon met with the sight of Sasuke and Hyuga facing each other, their doujutsu active.

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**I love ending chapters with cliffhangers like that. I rather make my readers anticipate the next chapter rather than fear what may happen. These kinds of cliffhangers also give me more incentive to write the next chapter. Till next time, sayonara.**

**Next Chapter: Accumulation; Return.**


	53. Accumulation Return: Chapter 53

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character previously in this story's timeline._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Arashi walked over to Kabuto and started up a conversation while wondering if the Shockwave of Forgetfulness worked. In the end, he decided to drain Kabuto's chakra and leave behind a clone. From there, he chased after Orochimaru. Tsukura dived in and dropped Hinata off. Arashi used the chance to pull off another joke. They let off the tension with some banter before getting serious just in time to find the base. Arashi punched through the ground and landed right over Orochimaru and Sasuke. The Uchiha had little hesitation towards attacking, but his knowledge of elemental jutsu couldn't match Arashi's. Arashi ended it when he used a chance to send Sasuke up to fight Hinata.)

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**11-1-09**

**I made some slight changes to a previous chapter to match this one. Most shouldn't be able to notice the change.**

**Also, I will still be using that new writing rule a lot in this chapter. It really makes this chapter special.**

"**Accumulation; Return"**

Hinata waited patiently as she watched Arashi fight Orochimaru and Sasuke. She laughed at the joke of how confidently Sasuke faced off against her shishō. "My father told me how arrogant the Uchiha were, but this actually makes me believe him. Arashi-shishō's movements and jutsu are flawless and without waist. He must be a bit tired if he is being that~ careful." Her eyes widened when she saw Arashi start tossing Sasuke straight for her. She followed the Uchiha's trajectory to a spot a good distance away from where she stood.

Sasuke slowly stood up and turned to where he came from. The first person he saw was a Hyuga girl with long midnight blue hair. She wore normal sandals and dark blue pants. Her jacket had lavender half-circles over the hips and a V where cleavage would start. Even with the different outfit, Sasuke was able to recall who this was. "You are that Hyuga girl from my old class." Sasuke took note of her serious expression and activated doujutsu. "Step aside. You are of no challenge to me."

Those words struck Hinata like a ton of bricks. Surprisingly to her, instead of affecting her confidence, it struck at her temper. "I AM _NOT_ TAKING THAT FROM _YOU_! I'LL BET THAT THE ONLY REASON YOU BEAT NARUTO-KUN IS BECAUSE HE DIDN'T WANT TO HURT YOU! YOU COULD NEVER BEAT HIM IN A REAL FIGHT!" She huffed and puffed from the slight exhaustion the yelling caused her as Sasuke activated his Sharingan. Arashi popped up in the background. "AND ANOTHER THING! I HAVE BEEN TRAINING UNDER THE MOST INSAIN REGIMINED FOR OVER TWO YEARS! I AM _NOT _THE SAME PERSON I WAS BACK IN THE CHUNIN EXAMS!"

"YOU TELL HIM HINATA-CHAN~!"

Hinata turned and glared at the blue-eyed man. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUT ME THROUGH THAT TRAINING!"

Arashi only smiled happily. "I AM NOT WHO YOU SHOULD BE FIGHTING HINATA-CHAN~!"

Hinata turned to Sasuke to see him stalking towards her with a serious expression. "If that man trained you, it should have made for some~ difference."

Hinata glared while taking a generic stance. "Don't look down on me."

"I remember the dobe saying something similar; though I can't remember when."

A massive snake appeared out of nowhere and lunged at Hinata. She jumped up and landed on Tsukura's back. "It appears that we are working together here. Let's show this serpent who the real predator is."

"What's the plan Tsukura-san? I can't fight very well at a distance, but you fight better when further away."

She let out a few hoots that sounded like laughter. "Just hold on." Tsukura dived for the snake nearly large enough to eat her and slipped by a strike with pinpoint timing. The serpent received a gash from Tsukura's talons for the trouble. It returned to where it was summoned to avoid further harm. Sasuke summoned three more serpents of slightly greater size to send after the owl.

Tsukura dived perfectly between two strikes and flapped over the third. With sound as the only clue, she spun out of at large tail's way and grabbed it. She had no trouble lifting the massive reptile into the air and slamming it into another before spinning away from another strike. During all this movement, Hinata crouched low and used varying levels of chakra to keep in place. "This is just like the first training with Arashi-shishō. He put me on that stone slab and spun me around like a wheel. I had to adjust my chakra with only a split second to react. _You're reacting to changes even faster now Hinata-chan._" Hinata smiled. "I think he planed for me to work with owls."

Seeing how the fight was going, Sasuke charged in with his sword electrified by his chakra. Tsukura turned her head for a clear view of him. An upward beat of her wing unleashed a wave of wind that distorted the rhythm of the vibrating chakra. "Now Hinata."

Hinata pushes off of Tsukura's back and prepares to launch an open palm for Sasuke's sword arm. He sees this and leans back enough to avoid the blow. Hinata stumbles a bit with her landing, leading Sasuke to slash at her side. The Byakugan and her chakra blades saved her from injury. Sasuke launched a kick, which Hinata caught. She received a shock from Sasuke's full bodied Chidori for the action.

Before he could slice her arms in an attempt to disable Hinata, Tsukura launched a wave of wind in time to divert the slash. Seeing that his snakes were once again dispatched, Sasuke faced the annoying raptor alone. As he charged, Tsukura used her strength and chakra to gain altitude. This would have worked, if Sasuke didn't suddenly grow hand-like wings. Using these, Sasuke was able to put a cut along Tsukura's left breast. With the important flight muscle damaged, she could no longer remain airborne. "My deepest apologies. I will no longer be able to continue fighting with you … Hinata-dono." She disappeared in a puff of smoke just in time to avoid being skewered by the electrified blade.

Arashi glared at this. "I see that Sasuke is using a bit of your~ power. What's wrong … he can't win with just his skills alone."

"You're mistaken~. Sasuke-kun made the power of the curse mark his."

"Merely learning how to control a power doesn't make it yours."

With the time her summon bought, Hinata was able to regain the feeling in her arms. She was grateful that the slash didn't get though; because it would have been excruciating at that moment. "Arigato Tsukura-san." Sasuke looked at Hinata in the eyes, causing her to leap back. "He is using some kind of cloak of lightning chakra to make sure I can't touch him. Maybe I can leach it off him." She charges straight for him and prepares some chakra at her left fingertips. "_Jutsu attacks can be defended against in their own ways. … Lighting will be a bit trickier. You must create a large amount of chakra that starts where the attack hits and leads to the ground. Make sure it is very dense and that it reaches the ground._"

She rushed at Sasuke before suddenly slipping to the right and sweeping her chakra blades along his body all the way down to the ground. Her dense chakra served as a medium for the vibrating chakra to flow down into the ground harmlessly. "My Chidori is gone."

Her forward momentum gave Sasuke enough time to launch a strong sword slash. With no ability to dodge in that position, she could only defend. "_When dealing with swords, there is a good way to knock if out of the user's hands. Three precisely placed chakra blades at the end, center, and then base will blast the weapon out of the user's grip._" Hinata quickly formed the three chakra blades, with the first two being just weak enough. The one at the tip severely reduced the power while the one in the center removed power and speed. The last one blasted the sword out of Sasuke's hand, just as Arashi said it would. With that done, Hinata slammed Sasuke's left side with a blow of Jūken she hasn't used in an unknown amount of time.

Because of the proximity to his heart, Sasuke felt like a large amount of his stamina was drained away. With the gained advantage, Hinata pressed forward. Her open palms thrust forward at high speed. Only by focusing 100% of his Sharingan abilities upon following her movements did he manage to avoid any further damage.

Hinata kept track of every time Sasuke moved to dodge her strikes. "_Evasion plays as much a part of one's rhythm as does attack._ 1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3, 4. He's matched his rhythm to mine. It must be his Sharingan." Hinata quickly broke her own rhythm and lashed out in an unexpected way, managing to glance Sasuke's side with another blow.

It was Orochimaru's turn to glare at events. "Impossible~! Sasuke-kun's Sharingan should have prevailed in that situation."

Arashi chuckled. "You can't trust is the abilities of a doujutsu all the time. You also can't say that a fight is without a pattern. Even a random bar fight would have a rhythm to it. The one who finds the pattern of this dance has the greatest chance of winning over the group. Even though the Sharingan may help with this, Sasuke has received no direct training for the skill. Hinata-chan has however spent months dealing with rapid changes between rhythms. That knowledge and experience can serve her more than any doujutsu."

Orochimaru watch as Sasuke soon found himself completely at the mercy of every strike Hinata launched. Even his Sharingan was fooled into seeing attacks that never came. This sight cause the Sannin's anger to rise. "This is impossible. Even with training and the Byakugan, no one can predict Sasuke-kun so flawlessly."

"Naïve. You assume that Hinata-chan is using her Byakugan right now." The white skinned man's eyes widened. "This is an attack named after a spear that a god sacrificed half his sight for. That mythological spear was said to never miss its mark no matter what. _This_ … is Gungnir."

Sasuke soon felt his rage building up after gaining an understanding of what it felt like to be a training log. He might as well not be dodging since every blow hit with full force. With no choice, he began to pull on the power upon his neck.

Hinata's eyes widened and she hesitated a bit when torn patches of black started to spread out over every piece of Sasuke's exposed skin. The way the white in his eyes turned black made her hesitate further. "What is this?"

Without warning, Sasuke struck Hinata with a powerful punch in the center of her chest. She rolled on the ground for a bit until Sasuke stopped her with his foot. Hinata looked up in pain and fear. "To think that you~ were able to push me this far." Some blood and spit came out when he kicked her back.

As she had enough time to stop rolling, she lifted herself just in time to avoid a punch. This didn't save Hinata from the sweeping kick to the face that sent her flying further. "Itai. … Itai. I don't know if I can take any more of these powerful blows." She could feel Sasuke's killer intent washing over her. Reacting on reflex, she pushed off the ground while still rolling. This avoided a potentially damaging axe kick. Hinata reached a half-standing position with surprised eyes. "I remember~ now. _When an attacker is both powerful and angry, their killer intent will be felt all over your body. Even so, there will be spots that are more concentrated than others. You need to be able to detect those._"

She dodged another punch and ducked under a sweeping kick. This gave her the chance to strike Sasuke again. Sasuke created some distance from her and looked directly in her eyes. "Those eyes~. They look just like that idiot who never knew how to give up." He formed some old hand-seals before charging his hand with dark blue lightning chakra. He built up his speed by circling around Hinata.

Even with the deafening chirping going around her, Hinata was focused completely upon Sasuke's killer intent. Her legs bucked, but she held her ground. She could tell by how the point of focus circled around her chest that he was aiming for her heart. It only came down to which angle he would attack from. She noticed it becoming stronger each time it circled to her front. "He's either perverted or overconfident. He actually wants to kill me through my breast."

Sasuke charged forward with his Chidori ready. "Time to end this." His eyes widened when she slipped away in the nick of time and prepared a counter attack.

Hinata firmly slammed her open palm into the center of Sasuke's chakra core. All the physical training she was forced to go through in Kumo came in play as she stopped Sasuke's forward momentum dead and even reversed his direction. She followed through with her powerful blow enough to slam Sasuke to the ground hard enough to crack it. It was his turn to cough out spit and blood. She stood triumphantly and let out a sigh. "He shouldn't get up from that." She quickly backed off when the dark chakra around Sasuke became visible to the naked eye. The dark marks finished covering Sasuke's body. His skin became a bluish shade of grey and his growing hair turned white. A bird-like mark appeared over his nose and his lips looked like he was wearing black lipstick. Large hand shaped wings appeared behind him as well. "This isn't over yet."

Sasuke glared at Hinata seriously. "She's much stronger than I anticipated. Someone who was unable to get to the third round of the Chunin exams is now strong enough to take me on. I will need to calm down if I want to win now." Sasuke turned his attention to Arashi. "I have no doubt that he alone is the cause." He returned his attention to Hinata. "What is that man's name?"

"MY NAME IS ARASHI AYAMA!"

"If I defeat this Hyuga, I will take her place as your student."

Hinata's eyes widened. "HE CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" She turned to Arashi to see him wearing a fixed expression.

"AS A MASTER OF MARTIAL ARTS, I RECOGNIZE THAT THE LOSER IS OBLIGED TO OBEY THE DEMANDS OF THE WINNER! I WILL ACCEPT ANY DEMAND THAT YOU MAKE OUT OF HINATA-CHAN SHOULD YOU WIN!"

Hinata couldn't believe her ears. "What is he saying? How can he be so ready to loose me so easily?" She then got a good look of Arashi's eyes.

"BUT IF YOU LOSE, YOU MUST ACCEPT ANY DEMAND HINATA-CHAN MAKES OF YOU!" Sasuke nodded and faced Hinata.

Orochimaru could not believe what was going on. "I have to stop this."

Hinata glared at Sasuke in confidence. "Arashi-shishō believes that I can win this. If I win, I can tell Sasuke-san to do whatever I want." She calmed down and pulled on her most recent training under Arashi. Her hands sweeped around her personal area, helping to form a field around her that only Arashi could see very well.

Sasuke walked over and picked up his previously lost sword. He then stalked towards Hinata. "There is nothing more that I can learn from Orochimaru. This Arashi should be able to bring me even closer to obtaining my goal of killing my brother. All that remains is this single obstacle."

Once again, Sasuke's killer intent washed over Hinata. The difference was that the killer intent was far more intense than before. It was obvious to her that he planed on coming at her stronger and more powerfully than before. It was the same feeling from just a few days ago.

**Flashback.**

Hinata trained with Arashi in improving her Seikūken so she would have some experience. Arashi stalked towards her with a misleading level of malicious intent. He quickly attacked multiple times, giving Hinata just enough time to deflect the attacks. "Hold your ground. Strike out at anything entering your territory. That is the essence of Seikūken." He then pulled out the massive stone clubs created by his jutsu. "But when you have to face a foe whose power dwarfs your own and whose speed is faster than you can follow; what next. Will you spend your time trying to maintain a territory you can't. … … NO! … You must be the rock in the rapids." Arashi launched his attack

**Flashback end.**

Hinata's memories were cut short with Sasuke quickly entering her Seikūken. Her body couldn't react fast enough to avoid the blow. She wasted no time getting back up though. "I can't defend such a wide territory." As she focused, the emotions in her eyes became less and less pronounced.

Arashi's expression became one of extreme happiness. "She's doing it. Hinata-chan is really about to unlock the next stage."

Orochimaru caught site of Hinata's expression and Arashi's. "Not good. I can't let this go any further."

Sasuke looked at Hinata with an apathetic expression. "So you have finally lost the will to fight me. Just wait there patiently so I don't have to kill you." He slowly walked towards her with full intent on ending it quickly.

Hinata lifted her eyes and focused on Sasuke's. "This feeling … is strange. Every movement Sasuke-san makes seems so~ fluid. It is almost like I can feel every movement he is making. … It feels really amazing." As soon as she smiled, the sensations disappeared. Piercing pain suddenly appeared at her leg. She looked down to see a snake with its fangs imbedded into her leg. The beast quickly disappeared with it's job done.

Sasuke glared at the snake in rage for a second before turning to Orochimaru in time to see the Sannin being sent flying by a powerful punch from Arashi. Sasuke could barely turn his head fast enough to follow Arashi to Hinata's side, which cause his rage to be replaced with surprise. "This man's strength really is something."

Arashi looked down at Hinata with a worried expression. "How are you? Do you think that the poison was very bad?"

As she winced in pain, Hinata pulled out a vile from a pocket and injected herself in a spot a short distance over the bite marks. After a few seconds, her expression began to relax. "I never thought I would have to use that. It's a good thing they taught me that one poison can neutralize another."

Arashi chuckled. "To be honest, I wasn't sure that you would ever need that. I was just going with being over prepared. It is actually a bit of a policy in Kumo as well. Immunity to that poison is part of the genin requirements. They have had plenty of practice, so it isn't hard for each child to be ready for a full dose in four years."

Sasuke made his presence known with a burst of chakra. "I'm not done yet."

Arashi looked at him seriously. "I don't care."

Sasuke focused on Arashi's blue eyes. "Perhaps I can use my Sharingan on him a bit."

Arashi quickly reacted with a paralyzing wave of killer intent and chakra. "Don't you dare~ try that with me Uchiha? I am more than capable of handling anything that your Sharingan can toss at me. It's a real shame that you feel that you must resort to that. I know about your desire for revenge against your brother. If revenge is that important to you, then I won't want to put my all into training you anyways." Arashi picked Hinata up and ran into the forest.

Sasuke turned away from them and towards the one who has been training him for the last two and a half years. "Orochimaru has become a hindrance to me."

Arashi set Hinata down, who looked at her shishō defiantly. "What are you doing? I still stood a chance against Sasuke-san."

"I know. I simply decided that it really wasn't worth continuing. When you beat him, I doubt that he would have done anything he didn't want to. I just didn't trust Sasuke much after he has been trained under Orochimaru for so~ long. Also, the fight gave me a perfect idea for how to train you next."

Hinata let out a sigh. "And where are we going for this training next."

Arashi smiled widely and chuckled. "Konoha."

* * *

**I think that I delivered what I promised I would last chapter. I really liked putting together all the training Hinata went through in a single fight. I am sure that most of you can guess what Hinata was about to do. I was really going for an even fight.**

"**Next Chapter: Surprise~~.**


	54. Surprise: Chapter 54

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." Hinata watched Arashi deal with Sasuke up until the Uchiha was sent up for her to take care of. Through the fight, nearly all the training she went under came into place. The giant spinning platform trained her to remain on a flying summons's back. The Chakra blade training let her disarm Sasuke's Chidori and his sword. The dance training gave Hinata the experience needed to effectively strike Sasuke repeatedly, even though he had the Sharingan. The killer intent training helped her develop the instincts needed to handle Sasuke in his first curse seal stage. The training in Kumo allowed her to unleash an attack that was both damaging and forceful. After this, she began to utilize the Seikūken. Unfortunately, Orochimaru interfered with one of his poisonous snakes. Arashi decided to break things off after Hinata counters the poison with her own. Once he was alone with her in the forest, he says that their next destination is Konoha.)

* * *

**11-15-09**

"**Surprise~~"**

Three figures walked down the dirt path leading right into Konoha. The eldest of the males wore an expression of pure glee as he thought about all the different fun events that will happen. The teenaged girl looked like she had a headache simply by knowing exactly what the older man was thinking. The third, a male in-between the two's ages, had a blank expression since he didn't know how he should feel about where they are going. The eldest of the group clapped his hands and smiled even wider. "Alright, I'm sure that you two remember the plan. It's the best one for getting in without much incident."

"Do you even realize what you are saying Arashi-shishō? You are talking about a missing-nin wanted by Konoha and walking through the village's front gate without incident. Do you realize how stupid you sound?"

The other male chuckled. "I must agree with Hinata-san. Knowing you Arashi-sama, you plan on using me for your own amusement."

Arashi smiled widely. "Yeah, you're right Kabuto-kun. This plan is just so they don't try to kill you on sight. … I am expecting plenty~ of entertainment."

"Excluding the bondage, this should be fun for me too."

Hinata shook her head in exasperation. "It is disturbing how similar Kabuto-san has become in comparison to you~ Arashi-shishō."

"At least I spent my time turning Kabuto-kun into a personality clone rather than devising new ways to annoy you."

Kabuto chuckled. "Do you think that makes her fell better?"

"Rub it in my face why don't you~? I can't believe you managed to get me even once, let alone three times. It's only been four days~. How did you master Arashi-shishō's behavior so quickly?"

"I think that this is actually Kabuto-kun's natural personality. When someone has their memories wiped, personalities usually don't change. The memory wipe gives them a chance to gain new beliefs. If they have the right beliefs, even a naturally cruel person may be able to help the world."

Kabuto chuckled some more. "I'm glad that my abilities are actually repairing the damage to my brain, allowing me to see what my old beliefs were. It is fun comparing the new me to the flashes of memories of the old me. I must say that this new way of life is already turning out to be more entertaining. I see now that emotional conflict is far better than physical conflict. There is so much more … variety~. Playing with people this way has much more potential."

Hinata let out another sigh. "From what Arashi-shishō told me about your past, you aren't much different. You are just going about it differently. Now let's get you tied up so I can finally see my home."

Just as Hinata finished wrapping Kabuto's wrists in wire and rope, Arashi grabbed both by the waist and charged full speed towards the village. Kabuto was amused while Hinata went from surprised to annoyed in a single second. "How did I ever expect him to not try to make a big scene? Now every ANBU, Jonin, and Chunin that sees us will give chase. How does Arashi-shishō expect to be accepted as a Konoha shinobi when every action he takes could get him thrown in jail?"

**A few seconds later:**

As soon as the two gate guards saw a man running past at a speed matching Might Guy's while caring two people, they raised the alarm. "HE'S HEADING FOR THE HOKAGE TOWER! INTERCEPT AND PROTECT HOKAGE-SAMA! HE'S NOT ALLOWED WITHIN ONE KILOMETER OF HER!"

Droves of Jonin and Chunin who received the message quickly came out of the woodwork and made a beeline along the path that would take them straight to the intruder. Even with the two people he was carrying, he was far faster than the average jonin. Anyone behind him couldn't catch up. The man also was able to slip by a number of the shinobi in front of him. One noticed who the male was being carried in the left arm. "HE'S CARRYING KABUTO YAKUSHI! HE MUST BE IN LEAGE WITH OROCHIMARU!"

Another jonin noticed the female finish some hand seals. "Not good." He watched as a rock came off the edge of a building and into the female's hands. A drop of sweat formed on the back of his head when she started hitting her forehead with the rock. "FOCUS ATTACKS ON THE LEFT SIDE! THE WOMAN APEARS TO BE A BIT INSANE!"

The man doing the running showed clear signs of nearly slipping as he let out a fit of booming laughter. The rock soon found the man's head, but he continued laughing as if it didn't happen. Off in a short distance ahead, a person wearing an ANBU mask blocked the way. The intruder shortened his running stride and zigzagged at an extraordinary pace while not slowing his forward speed at all. This unusual running confused the ANBU completely and allowed the intruder to slip past.

As soon as he accomplished this, the ninjutsu started flying. As and unbelievable response, the man actually _increased_ his speed. He was dead set on not losing any time. "IS THIS MAN EVEN HUMAN~?"

As he started getting too close, five people wearing the mask started to run after him. The intruder once again shortened his stride and started zigzagging at an insane pace. His forward speed finally dropped to something those behind him could catch up to. They knew that would change on the off chance he got past five ANBU. All of them unleashed a fire ball jutsu at once. Instead of seeing this as a danger, the man saw it as a chance. He returned to full speed and jumped over the flames and the ANBU. He jumped even further and higher with the next one. Everyone realized where the next jump would take the man and thought the same thing. "He's insane."

**The Hokage's Tower:**

"I have already told you countless times before … I am _not_ sending hunter-nin after your daughter. She has not been kidnapped nor has she done anything that would cause her to be considered a missing-nin. Although there were some times when her letters were late, she kept up with them the entire time, and still does. We have even provided you with copies of all these letters."

"I have read them all, and there is plenty room for mistake. Many letters are hastily written and lack certain details such as location and~ _physical conditions_."

"I know full well that your greatest concern is whether or not she has been impregnated. It astonishes me that you don't have more faith in your own daughter. I have read all of the letters and even had most checked for tampering."

"What about the ones not writing in my daughter's hand."

"We have samples of Arashi's handwriting, and all those letters are certainly written by him. They even state that he is writing them because Hinata is unable to do so at the time."

"Do you not see that those letters fail to point out why my daughter is unable to write at the time?"

Tsunade's bolted up in a spot of rage. "THAT'S ENOUGH HIASHI!" She then sat back down calmly after asserting her authority. "The mission was set to last for three years. That is what Arashi paid for and that is what we agreed to. Unless the letters stop coming, there is nothing I can or should do about it. The unfortunate always happens on a mission. It's rare for us to even be certain that a shinobi is even still alive when it comes to missions like these. Not only am I certain that she is alive, but I am certain that she is growing with each passing few months."

Hiashi narrowed his eyes. "What is your meaning?"

"Try reading the letters again, except you skip three or four for every one you read. I would have missed it if Hinata's sensei hadn't pointed it out to me."

The doors suddenly swung open. A chunin with a frantic expression was revealed. "My apologies Hokage-sama, but this is an emergency. An intruder ran straight into the village while carrying two people. He may be here in a matter of seconds."

Just before she asked if he has been identified, the sound of shattering glass echoed behind her. Acting on instinct, she launched a blind chakra filled punch. The man ducked under it in the nick of time and looked up. "You know~, if being Hokage doesn't work out you have potential at a milk factory." He dodged yet another punch. Tsunade was about to continue her attack, but stopped when she realized who he was. "Surprise~~."

"WHAT ARE YOU~ DOING HERE?" Before the question could be answered, the same five ANBU from before reached the window and tossed a barrage of kunai at the three people. The man dropped both, pulled out a sword, and slashed the kunai to bits in a very short time. As the ANBU started up some hand-seals, Tsunade held out her hand authoritatively and got their attention with some killer intent. "This man is not an enemy of the village. He is a client for a mission. Leave now before I demote all of you to chunin." They were gone in that instant.

"Good job recognizing me so quickly Tsunade. I'm glad to see that you can still send a man flying just by turning around."

Veins bulged on her forehead and her voice became strained with anger. "I'm not so glad to see you so willing to cause such chaos in _my _village."

Hinata, who stood up in an instant after being dropped, joined in with a bow. "Gomen Hokage-sama. Once Arashi-shishō gets an idea in his head, stopping him or dissuading him are near impossible tasks. He usually doesn't give me enough time to even realize what he is doing before sucking me into it."

Tsunade coughed into her hand. "Well~, when I read that he likes to stir up chaos and trouble, I did not realize that he liked taking it this far." She started to rub her temples. "I can already see this man causing me a lot of paperwork." She quickly noticed the other person starting to stand up next to Arashi. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE~?" She quickly noticed how his hands were bound before turning to Arashi. "How in the world did you manage this?"

Hinata was prepared to smack her own forehead knowing that Arashi planned to tell her exactly what happened. He spent few minutes telling her about Orochimaru, wiping Kabuto's memories, and Sasuke. "From that fight, I came up with a great idea for Hinata-chan's next training regimen. She should become even stronger."

Tsunade rubbed her temples. "He's already given me a pile of paperwork just coming into the village, and now he's brought in one of the biggest missing-nin out there as if it were nothing. I won't be finished for two weeks."

Hiashi decided to make his presence known. "You mean to tell me that my daughter fought on par with the Uchiha traitor? Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

Arashi smiled widely. "What's wrong? You think that because you failed as a teacher, it is Hinata that is weak. Has your own incompetence ever crossed your mind as the reason."

Kabuto let out a long whistle. "I felt that one from over here."

In a short burst of anger, Hiashi charged Kabuto a prepared a lethal blow. He was surprised when Arashi took the blow right over the heart. "You forget things easily, don't you Hiashi."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "The Chakra Screen Jutsu. I see that it is just as effective against the Hyuga as against me. Arashi would certainly be a dangerous enemy to make." Tsunade cleared her throat loudly. "I hope you haven't forgotten your manners Hiashi-sama. This is not the place for fighting, let alone killing someone." She turned her attention to Arashi. "From your story, I am guessing that the mission isn't technically over."

Hiashi quickly turned to Tsunade, shrugging off his recent failure as if it didn't happen. "Forget about him and turn your attention towards the A-classed missing-nin standing right in front of you. Shouldn't he be your primary concern?"

Arashi looked at Hiashi with just his eyes. "You really need to learn how to shut up. I planned to talk about that and other arrangements as well." Before the Hyuga leader could protest, Arashi unexpectedly jabbed his throat with lightning speed. The man gripped the spot and struggled to get his voice out. Arashi turned his head to face him. "You really shouldn't underestimate me by thinking that my Chakra Screen Jutsu is all I can do." Arashi faced Tsunade just in time for Hiashi palm to slam into the side of his face. "Let's talk about Kabuto first."

The changed man couldn't help but smile widely at the scene playing out before him. "That blow hurt Hiashi-san more than Arashi-sama."

Hinata had never been so shocked in her life. She doubted Naruto walking right into the room, confessing his love for her, and then kissing her right on the lips would surprise her more. "I can never imagine anyone except Arashi-shishō being able to insult Otou-sama like this without getting killed. Otou-sama's killer intent would have paralyzed me if it wasn't for the training I went through. You should lighten up Arashi-shishō."

Arashi gave Hinata a glace. "No promises." He turned back to Tsunade. "When I first came to this village, I was able to look around and do some decent research on the skills within this village. I believe that with your efforts combined with a Yamanaka's, you can make completely certain that Kabuto is no longer a threat to the village. As for training, I can do more than just Hinata-chan. If possible, I want some of the other old genin to play a part in some of my training ideas."

Tsunade smiled. "That sounds very interesting, but I must tell you that all of those genin have graduated into being chunin. The only genin left are Hinata and Naruto. Everyone else has been able to attend the chunin exams and pass."

Hinata smiled widely. "Shino-kun and Kiba-kun are chunin now?"

Arashi turned his attention to Hinata. "I think that's what Tsunade said Hinata-chan. You don't seem very bummed that you are still a genin."

"It's okay. Even if I am not a chunin, I doubt that I would be as strong as I am now if I didn't go on this mission."

"I'm touched Hinata-chan. You really feel like I have made a difference in your life. That alone makes me a happy teacher."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "What are you up to?"

Arashi smirked widely. "Why do you have to think that something bad will happen when I say something nice?"

"You said it, not me."

Arashi's expression blanked for a bit before smiling again. "So this is what feeling like a proud father is like?"

Hinata let out a long sigh. "What has happened to me? Otou-sama is standing there and I am acting like this." Her eyes widened when she noticed that he wasn't there. "I actually didn't notice that he left. I must have really changed if I can ignore Otou-sama when he is in the same room. I should have been too nervous to say anything, but I am actually pretty calm. I don't think I can speak out against him, but I am not that scared anymore."

The door suddenly opened, revealing a large white blur charging straight for Hinata. She was brought to the ground quickly. Reacting as fast as her training allowed her too, she pushed the large object off of her with enough force to send it halfway to the ceiling. Everyone except Arashi and Kabuto was shocked.

The people who were standing outside the door were equally shocked. Arashi smirked at their looks. "Well if it isn't Hinata's team. This must have shocked them."

Hinata sat up and noticed the white blur. She was also surprised. "Is that you Akamaru-kun? When did you get so big?"

Akamaru's partner, Kiba spoke up. "FORGET THAT! WHEN DID YOU GET SO STRONG?"

Hinata blinked in confusion, which Arashi responded to. "Hinata-chan … you just took a dog weighing about as much as you do and pushed it up half way to the ceiling while lying on your back. That isn't normal for a male shinobi to be doing so effortlessly, let alone a kunoichi. This is especially true considering how physically weaker you were two and a half years ago."

Getting over her shock, Kurenai approached Arashi directly. After a few moments of staring at him directly, she let out a long sigh. "Thanks for bringing her back."

Arashi smiled in a gentler way. "After all the time I invested into her and how much I care, I couldn't let her get killed out there."

Shino decided to step forward. "Hinata's face is bruised."

Kurenai quickly moved over to Hinata and examined her. It was barely there, but parts of her face were tinted yellow from old bruises. "WHERE DID THESE~ COME FROM?"

Tsunade stood up. "Don't worry Kurenai. I plan on giving Hinata a check up as soon as possible. Right now, we have a few other things to deal with." She pressed a button hidden under the desk, causing a fully dressed ANBU to appear. "Take Kabuto to the interrogation room and schedule a mind scan from Inoichi."

Kabuto narrowed his eyes as he was pulled along. "That's it for my fun." He then smirked. "I'll be able to have even more when I am released."

The chunin and jonin were shocked at watching the man walk out. Kiba turned to Hinata. "You actually captured that guy."

Arashi laughed. "Hinata-chan isn't _that _strong yet. I doubt she could capture Kabuto without killing him. It is me who captured him. I am also the one responsible for…." Arashi looked around a bit. "Where did Hiashi go?"

Hinata's jaw dropped a bit. "You didn't notice."

"Nope. I must have done too well in tuning him out. I'm willing to bet that he hates me now."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "No one could lose that bet."

"Not even Tsunade." Arashi started laughing at his quick witted joke.

The Hokage's eye twitched in irritation. "That aside, I think I should give Hinata a quick look over." Tsunade stood up and walked over to Hinata. "I am going to check your internal organs first and work my way out." Hinata nodded and spread out her arms. Starting from the head, Tsunade worked down to her pelvis. "There is no internal damage and I couldn't help but check if there was any evidence of anything inappropriate happening to her. Arashi has proven how trustworthy he is."

Tsunade moved her glowing hands to Hinata's feet and slowly worked to the knees before backing off, worrying Hinata a bit in doing so. "Is something wrong Hokage-sama?"

"N-no. I thought I detected something, but it's medically impossible. I am going to continue." As she did so, her confused expression only grew more confused. Tsunade turned her focus from Hinata and saw that everyone was worried about what she was finding except one person; Arashi. He had the devious smirk telling her that he knew exactly what she was seeing. She read his lips precisely. "_Surprise~~._" Tsunade stepped past Hinata and glared right into his eyes. "How did you do that to her?"

* * *

**This is a really gentle cliffy. I am going to show the first new training and try to come up with ideas for most of the others. I have plans for Might Guy's team, but the others are a bit more complicated.**

**Next Chapter: Metamorphosis.  
**


	55. Metamorphosis: Chapter 55

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on "The Ultimate Shinobi." The newly formed trio made their way to the village gates. Kabuto stated that he was regaining his memories, which was no cause for alarm in Hinata or Arashi. After tying up Kabuto's hands, Arashi picked both up and ran into the village, causing a heap of mayhem along the way. As this happened, Hiashi attempted to plead with the Hokage to have hunter-nin sent after his daughter. Arashi barged right in, causing yet another disturbance. With that dealt with, Arashi told Tsunade his upcoming plans while subconsciously dealing with Hiashi. In just a short time, Hinata's old team entered and received a first hand look at her new strength. They caught up and Tsunade checked Hinata's body for any irregularities. She found one.)

* * *

**11-29-09**

"**Metamorphosis"**

Arashi's smile only grew more. "So you are asking me how I was able to do that to her?"

"Don't fool with me. I didn't stutter."

"Nah~~, that is Hinata-chan's department."

"HEY, I haven't stuttered in around a year."

"ENOUGH!" Hinata flinched at Tsunade's voice. "Stop with your joking around and tell me how you were able to do that to her."

"That wasn't very nice Tsunade. You actually scared~ Hinata-chan there. It's not like what I did was bad. The people who trained me did the same thing to me. They were able to do it for much longer though, resulting in a lot more change." The Hokage filched back when Arashi did a quick dash to her. "You are free to examine me as well if you want."

Tsunade was a little taken aback by this. She took a deep breath and gulped before starting up her Examination Jutsu. She started at his head and slowly moved down. Everyone else's breath was caught as they wondered just what was wrong. Tsunade stopped at his chest and sighed. "I've seen enough. Now tell me how you did this."

Arashi chuckled. "Aren't you being a little cruel to the others? They are all worrying their heads off because they don't know what we are talking about. Perhaps you should give them a simple anatomy lesson."

Tsunade looked around and saw that even Shino was showing a worried expression. "Fine~, I guess that they deserve to hear this." She took yet another deep breath. "The abnormality I detected was in her musculature. I should start with what I would normally expect to see. … There are essentially two types of muscle fibers in the human body. First are the Type I muscles that can also go by the names of red muscle or slow twitch muscle. They are red because of the presence of the oxygen binding protein myoglobin, which is even better than what is in red blood cells. This allows these muscles to work for greatly extended periods of time. They are usually more compact as well. That is why the majority of shinobi have mostly this type. Type II muscles can also go by the names of white muscle or fast twitch muscle. These muscles release a large amount of energy, but they tire out quickly. They are called white muscles because instead of myoglobin, they have a body sugar called glycogen. Since there are three types of white muscles; that makes four types in total."

Arashi smiled. "But you found something else."

Tsunade nodded. "Hai. Normally, the two impure types of white muscles do~ have some myoglobin in them, but they lose the amount of glycogen they can utilize. Theoretically, few believe that a muscle with all the myoglobin of red muscles and all of the glycogen of pure white muscles could be created. Most discarded the idea as medically impossible. _Pink_ muscles were nothing but a fairy tail to me … until~ now."

Kiba decided to jump in. "ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT HINATA'S BODY IS MADE OF THESE MUSCLES?"

"Not exactly Kiba. The method for such a metamorphosis would be very complicated. Right now, only around thirteen percent of her muscle mass is made of these muscles. Even so, that is a remarkable change for two and a half years."

Arashi chuckled. "What~ are you talking about Tsunade? Through most of the early training, I only transformed one to two percent. The remaining changes were made over an eight month period. Why don't you tell them what you found in my~ musculature?"

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "I'm guessing that was what the training in Kumo was for~. There was nothing complicated about that training … just pure insanity."

Tsunade paused fore a few seconds. "Excluding his facial muscles, I found that around 85% of his muscles were pink muscles. I am sure that the percentage would rise if I moved down to the muscles he uses more frequently."

Kurenai voiced her curiosity. "How strong would you say they are?"

Tsunade's expression turned serious. "If we are talking about Hinata, it wouldn't be difficult to compare her current strength, speed, and stamina to be on the same level as Rock Lee."

"WHAT~ … ARE YOU TELLING US THAT HINATA IS LIKE THAT FREAK OF NATURE!"

Arashi narrowed his eyes. "Kiba-kun, it's not nice to call someone normal a freak of nature. The only freak of nature that I have truly seen was a man who could sing a duet with himself. Oh, and did I forget to mention that he didn't even know any kind of cloning jutsu."

Tsunade's eye twitched. "I would say that doing so is physically impossible, but I shouldn't be surprised after discovering pink muscles in not one but two people. As for Arashi, I have to say that he could have stamina matching Might Guy with pure destructive power that matches the power I get from using chakra. This is without chakra though."

"Do you realize what you are saying Tsunade-sama. Someone like that could hardly be considered human. I still have trouble believing that Guy is human. He could be stronger than any of the Konoha shinobi."

"That's not exactly true Kurenai-chan. During the eight months or so that Hinata went through that training, I left her alone and ran into Jiraiya in the process. He proved that he could~ fight me as an equal if he had to."

"You met with Jiraiya. Does that mean that you also saw that blond idiot?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT YOU SAW NARUTO-KUN?"

Kiba smirked. "At least that hasn't changed."

Arashi also smirked. "That wasn't the only time that I was aware of Naruto-kun's position on with complete certainty. The one mentioned before was the third and last. The first two were actually chances for you to meet him yourself. The first was actually that day before the morning where I transformed into an older Naruto-kun, snuck into your bed, woke you up, and told you to check up on the kids."

"THAT WASN'T FUNNY ARASHI-SHISHŌ!"

Arashi pointed to the side nonchalantly. "I think that Kiba-kun's snickering says otherwise."

Hinata gave Kiba a fierce glare, which made him stop. "I knew that women could be scary, but I never thought that Hinata would _ever_ tap into that power."

"The second time was actually during the killer intent training before I left you for those years alone so you could receive that physical training. I'm sure that Naruto-kun received the same training for even longer than you. He was also able to do more extreme training too thanks to his higher recovery rate."

"ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT NARUTO WAS IN KUMO GOING THROUGH TRAINING MORE EXTREME THAN WHAT I WENT THROUGH?" As she watched Arashi suddenly drop and start rolling on the ground in a laughing fit as all the jaws of the others dropped, Hinata realized what she said. "I don't think I was supposed to say that."

Tsunade released an aura of anger and authority. "EXPLAIN THIS NOW!"

Arashi quickly stopped laughing. "Part of the contract was that she had to follow me wherever I may go and wait for me wherever I may leave her. Right now, she has to follow me." Arashi suddenly slung Hinata over his back and left through the broken window."

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING?"

Despite her shock, Kurenai couldn't help but be surprised by these actions. "After seeing this, I'm getting a better idea of what Hinata has been meaning when calling Arashi crazy."

"This man will give me more headaches than even Naruto has."

Arashi somehow managed a soft landing on the ground. With that done, he quickly scanned for the tallest square-shaped building he could find. He chuckled when he saw that the building he was searching for happened to be the Konoha Hospital. "Time for the next stage of training."

Hinata crossed her arms in frustration yet had a fairly calm expression. "He may have saved me from that situation, but I know that he's going to tease me." She then looked up dreamily. "Still, if Naruto-kun did~ go through training at Kumo, then there's no telling how strong he is right now. I can't wait to see him."

Her thoughts were cut off as soon as Arashi stopped. He put Hinata down and looked around to see a bunch of shinobi tailing him while trying to stay hidden. "I'm guessing that those ANBU informed the others, but they are still suspicious."

"Why are we at the hospital Arashi-shishō?"

"For your next training of course. I want you to first get on the raised edge of the roof." Arashi waited for a few seconds as she balanced herself on the edge. "Now for the training part. I want you to run alone the edges around the building at full speed."

"NANI~!"

"No chakra either. It isn't proper training if you cheat in that way."

"Are you kidding me Arashi-shishō? That's impossible. I'll fall off the instant I reach the first corner."

"I'll catch you. All you have to do is focus on the training. I'll know if you use chakra or aren't running full speed."

Hinata leaned back in a specialized fear as she saw his eyes light up. "I am _not _getting out of this, aren't I?" The growing grin answered her question clearly.

**Minutes later:**

"SINCE WHEN DID YOU GET LIKE THIS?" Anyone watching would have been treated to the sight of Arashi chasing Hinata around the edge of the building. Like many times before, she fell off and Arashi caught her by the back of her jacket. "CAN'T YOU BE GENTLER? YOU'RE STRETCHING OUT MY JACKET!"

"Aren't you forgetting that you only need a little water and chakra to return it to your size? Also, I'm pretty sure that I have been rougher with you. Don't you remember the dancing? I even went so far as to help make it a bit easier." True to his words, he used an earth jutsu to change the edges of the building so that it would have four pairs of corners with a distance of one and a half meters between each corner pair. "You should also stop yelling. You are gathering a great deal of attention.

Hinata blushed as she looked and saw a number of passing civilians looking. "Fine. I still can't see the purpose of this training."

"You only have to wait before I tell you the purpose. I think learning how to do the second stage of this training will be beneficial in of itself."

"I understand. I've trusted you all this time. Why can't I trust you for this one?"

"That's good. You should see this as a good chance to also see your home when we are done training for today. Don't worry about me. I can just go to where I used to live. I still own that patch of land from before. It may not look impressive from the outside, but I have quite the basement. I will come get you every morning. Until it's time to stop for today, I want you to instantly start running whenever I put your feet to the edge. Now run."

It only took her a few seconds to start falling again.

**Hours later:**

An exhausted Hinata walked right up to her old home. "It has been a long time since I have been here. I hope that I don't run into someone I don't want to." Just in case, Hinata kept her senses at the highest level possible. She was glad that is was late enough so that nearly everyone would be in their rooms. Just as she approached the room she hasn't seen in years, she felt a presence. She waited a few moments to see who it was. Her eyes widened. "Hanabi-chan."

"Onee … chan. Is that you?" The young ten-year-old stood there in a tall towel, obviously from just finishing a bath or shower. The girl ran forward and wrapped her sister in a hug. "I've missed you."

Hinata smiled and placed her over a shoulder. "I've really missed you too Hanabi-chan. I can't wait to talk to you. I hope that you've read the messages that I wrote for Hokage-sama."

"What messages?"

Hinata let out a long sigh. "I asked that Otou-sama route the messages to you. I'm guessing that he decided not to do that. I must have put too much faith in him. I'll tell you about my training sometime later when I am not exhausted. That may be a while. If you have time, you could watch me train tomorrow. Arashi-shishō has me doing something crazy again."

"Crazy~?"

"Arashi-shishō's teachings aren't exactly what you would call normal. The first thing he did was put me on a giant spinning panel to help improve my chakra levels and chakra control. The man's a notorious jokester too without any concern for another's ranking in society. He once snuck into a female Daimyo's bathroom while she was taking a bath just to talk to her."

Hanabi started to snicker into her hands. "So you think that he really did~ meet the Hyuga elders personally."

Hinata's expression blanked. "I hardly believed that he did that when I first heard it, but after I have spent all these years getting to know him, I'd be crazy not to believe that he really did do it."

Hanabi continued snickering. "What else Onee-chan?"

"Not now Hanabi-chan. I want to get a quick shower and get to sleep. It has been a long time since I've slept in a real bed."

She then developed a cute pout. "Fine~. Maybe you can tell me some more tomorrow. I have to get to sleep anyways." Hanabi stopped at her door and looked back. "You've really changed Onee-chan. I didn't hear you stuttering once. I think that Neji-nii would like to see you. He should be back tomorrow."

Hinata smiled. "_Really._ Can you stay here and tell him that I am training on top of the hospital." She quickly noticed her sister's expression. "Don't ask. You'll see tomorrow." Hinata quickly disappeared into her room and looked around. As expected, it was almost exactly as she left it with the exception of her missing clothes. "I forgot to get my clothes from Arashi-shishō. He also forgot to give them to me. It's rare for him to forget anything; though I don't actually need them."

**The next day:**

Hinata spent the next few hours training under Arashi's newest unusual training. No matter how hard she tried, she failed to stay on the building every time she met with an edge. She even fell off the sides a few times. "Having fun yet Hinata-chan." She couldn't respond since she was too tired and was focused upon her task. As he caught Hinata's next failure, he noticed a few other Hyuga heading straight for them. "Looks like your family is here Hinata-chan. Why don't we stop for a bit and have a talk with them." He set her feet to the roof.

"It's Hanabi-chan and Neji-nii-san." As soon as the two landed on the building, Hinata ran up and wrapped her cousin in a hug. "I hear that everyone has made chunin. Congratulations Nii-san."

Neji broke from his surprise at the sudden hug and smiled. "To tell the truth, I am a jonin right now."

Hinata's eyes widened for a moment before her expression turned very happy. "That's great~. I'm so~ happy for you."

"You've really changed Hinata-sama. It is almost like you are a different person now." Neji turned his eyes to Arashi. "I still remember how I learned that Hinata-sama owes her life to you. I had no doubt that you would bring her back safely."

"It's nice to know that there are some that completely trust me Neji-kun. Now let me ask you if there is there any chance that your teammates are in the village. Now that I am in the village, I would like to work with some of Hinata-chan's peers. I have a few ideas for how they can be trained. Lee-kun would actually benefit from the training Hinata-chan is doing right now. I'd like to get him in first. Any clue where he would be?"

The jonin's expression blanked as he pointed generally towards the training grounds. "Lee should already be training with Guy-sensei right now."

Hinata backed away and activated her Byakugan with the hand-seals. After looking around a bit, she stopped. "They are four point five kilometers away in the direction I am facing, heading right on handstand running."

This confused Hanabi. "Don't you need to give better info than that?" Hinata chuckled at her sister's naïveté.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu." The Arashi clone appeared and disappeared in an instant. It really took less than a minute for the clone to reach the green pair. "Hello you two. It has been a long time."

The two 'beasts' quickly flipped to their feet. "YOSH, IT IS A FINE TIME TO SEE YOU ARASHI-SAN! WILL YOU JOIN LEE-KUN AND I IN SOME LIGHT TRAINING?"

"Unfortunately, no. Instead, I am putting Hinata-chan through some very specialized training. I believe that Lee-kun would benefit greatly from this training even more than she would since it builds upon the basics of all forms of taijutsu on this planet."

Lee's eyes lit up as he turned towards his sensei, but the jonin held up his hand to stop him. "I know what you have to say my beloved pupil. I believe that Arashi-san has something to teach you that I do not. The best way's to help kindle your flames of youth is to have as many different fuels as possible."

Arashi turned away knowing that those two were about to start up one of their hugging sessions. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Nine clones appeared around the original creator, which disappeared. One of them stayed behind, one headed strait back, and the others spread out randomly to go looking for the others."

* * *

**The training of Hinata's peers should take two chapters, and then I am just going to time skip to when Naruto returns. Those talking about how Naruto should have become stronger have already received my counter in this chapter.**

**Next Chapter: Rampant Arashi.  
**


	56. Rampant Arashi: Chapter 56

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. Tsunade explained that she found a pink muscles in Hinata's body, which she previously considered impossible. Hinata was described to be as strong as Lee while Arashi was said to have Tsunade's power and Guy's stamina. Hinata suddenly let it slip that she was alone in Kumo, leading to Arashi quickly bailing with her over his shoulder. From there, he took her to train on the hospital. After that, Hinata finally met up with her sister. She met with her cousin the next day and Arashi decided to go looking for some others to train.)

* * *

**Just to warn the readers, grammar mistakes _will _become more common. I upgraded my computer to Windows 7, and lost my Microsoft Works in the process. That mean's no grammar checker. I don't trust the idea of a beta reader simply because of my timely updates.**

**12-13-09**

"**Rampant Arashi"**

The group of Arashi clones spread out across the entire village in search of Hinata's fellow rookies. One had little trouble finding a specific pair thanks to their bright clothing. He focused his chakra and shot a single thin and bright blue lighting bolt into the air. Numerous others of a purple color soon fired into the air. "I am a master of gathering attention. Everyone is staring at me again." He jumped off of the building and landed right in-front of his targets. "Hello ladies. _Remember me_?"

As civilians backed away, the pair took on an combative stance. The one in red glared fiercely and stepped forward a bit. "I don't remember you. Tell me who you are before I smash your face in."

The one in purple spoke up. "Trust me, she can do it."

A copy of the man landed right next to the original. He took one look at the situation and smiled. "We're going to have some real fun with these two." No sooner did he finish that sentence, the red one launched her attack. "No time for the Chakra Screen Jutsu." The clone held out his palms and caught the punch directly. The earth at his feet tore apart as he was forced back an inch. He smirked at the pair's expressions. "It's rare for a blow from a chunin to be able to hurt my hand like that. They'd usually need something sharp for that."

The other clone walked up to the other. "Are we done yet. They don't seem to remember."

"But I was hoping to start up a fight to see what they can do."

"I'm not sure if we should keep going like this. I just want to get to the point for once. Not to mention that we could cause some unnecessary damage. We are~ spread out. The return from a variety of memories tends to be worse than a single type of experience."

"It's still a bit annoying that they don't remember me. Certainly they would remember the guy who stirred things up by taking Hinata-chan out on a special training mission."

The two suddenly let down their guard as their memories booted up. "That's where I remember your face from."

"Thanks a lot Sakura-chan. I'm surprised that you haven't found out yet. From what I felt and saw from that punch, you have been training directly under Tsunade. Also for the both of you, your chakra flow is much more controlled than the average shinobi. You also have lean legs and strong waist muscles, perfect for evasive skills. You two couldn't be anything but medics." Their eyes widened at his very accurate description. "I think it will be best to improve that specific skill so you can _dance~~_ around your enemies." The two clones smirked widely at the word.

**Another clone in the shinobi shopping area:**

He quickly noticed two of his targets walking into a weapons store. He could see through the window yet another one of his targets. In that moment, he fired two blue intertwining bolts into the air. Like before, a small number of other purple bolts fired into the air. Like with the other clone, he managed to garnered a lot of attention. Two other clones soon showed up and landed at his side. The hopped to the ground and walked into the store as if they were normal. "Hello Shino-kun, Kiba-kun. It didn't take long for us to find you two. I never would have thought that you would spend regular time together."

Shino adjusted his glasses. "Our kunai were damaged in training and must be replaced."

"What he said."

One clone turned to that clerk. "Seeing you~ here wasn't a surprise at all though. It makes sense that Ten-chan would want to spend her extra time working in a weapons store when she isn't on mission or training. Do you remember me?"

She thought about it for a second before it clicked. "Now~ I remember. You're that guy who took Hinata out of that mission so you could train her. Hokage-sama told us about you being back. I can't wait to see what Hinata can do now." She paused and glared a bit. "Also, only my parents call me Ten-chan."

The clone chuckled. "I'll remember that Tenten. As for Hinata, I have her training on top of the hospital. I even have Lee-kun training with her."

"Is that the purpose of there being clones of yourself."

The clone next to Shino smirked. "You're very perceptive Shino-kun. I am now having clones searched the village for who used to be your fellow genin so I can have some time training them. That includes you three as well."

"Wait, you aren't going to do that weird pink muscle thing?"

"I depends on who I am training. From the start, I am going to focus upon improving your own specialized skills before I move on to generalized skills. I'm willing to bet that Tenten will take the longest since there are a lot of weapons. It's a good thing that I may have trained under someone who could be the greatest weapon's specialist in this world."

Her eyes quickly lit up. "A weapon's specialist."

"That's right. Shigure-shishō _is~_ the best weapon user that I have _ever _seen. That woman may prefer the katana, but her skills with other weapons far surpasses the skills of those who specialized on those weapons for years. Few could match her great talent with hard work alone simply because she never slacks on her own~ training."

Tenten's eyes lit up like a sky of fireworks. "A WOMAN!"

"That's right. You could easily call her a kunoichi, with the difference being that she never used chakra at all. Even so, you'll be amazed at how many weapons she has hidden under her clothes while managing not to hurt herself; a true weapon master if I ever met one." Judging by the look in her eyes, he didn't have to say anything else to convince Tenten to train under him. "What do you two say. I developed ideas for each of the _rookies_. You should find how I plan to train you both interesting and productive."

Shino thought about if for a second. "Experience outside of my usual skills should prove beneficial."

Kiba linked his hands over his head. "Sounds interesting. As long as you don't do anything crazy."

All the clones repressed a chuckle. "This guy doesn't know who he's talking too."

**A lone clone near a barbeque restaurant:**

"There is the Akimichi. Looks like I'll get to meet his father too." Arashi hopped to the ground, garnering far less attention than his clones did. He walked into the building and right up to the pair. They were in the process of inhaling their meal of pure meat. Because he just stood there as they ate, everyone looked at him and wondered what he was doing. The two Akimichi ignored him as the tried to eat more of the meat than the other as quickly as possible. At the moment, they looked like they were in a tie. All of a sudden, there was only one piece of meat remaining on the grill. The pair glared each-other down; conveying their personal certainty to acquiring the morsel. Their chopsticks shot forward and dueled over the meat. The fight stopped when a bare hand deliberately picked up the food and put it into the clone's mouth.

Every person could not possibly believe what just transpired before their eyes. They all knew of the Akimichi Clan's addiction to food, and that you _**NEVER**_ take the last piece of food from them. This man just took it from two. The two Akimichi also couldn't believe it. They watched as the man nonchalantly walked out the door. Finally, there brains finished batting the event around in their minds. "He~ must~ die~!"

The clone quickly picked up on the spike of chakra. "I think I went too far this time. Together, those two can disperse me if I'm not careful." He headed for a forested area, making sure that those two were in pursuit. He stood in an open area, where he knew a Akimichi would have the advantage and where he would easily be spotted. "I sure know how to have fun."

**The final one just running across the village roofs:**

"I figured that I would find him sleeping somewhere. This could actually be fun."

The clone dropped to the ground, right in front of two people. His target gave him a bored expression, but the other one took a defensive stance. "Who are you?"

"Hey Arashi-san. If you are back, Hinata must be too."

"That's right Shikamaru-kun. She should be training on top of the hospital right now. The three year long mission technically isn't over yet. I just sent a group of clones out to impart some of my knowledge upon her peers. But as for you~ …" He developed a suggestive stare. "Am I interrupting something."

"If lazy bones here knows this guy, I guess I can relax." The woman took a calmer stance and a bored expression. "Hardly~. I am just acting as Suna's ambassador for the chunin exams. This guy just happens to be my escort." She pointed without even looking at him.

"Scratch that … she's no fun at all. If you say so Temari-chan. You sure enjoyed using the word 'just' though." Arashi turned to Shikamaru after seeing her apathetic expression. "I'm guessing that you are going to be busy entertaining her for a while. Not only that, you won't be very keen on training with me. That adds together to you being the most troublesome to train."

She chuckled at Arashi's choice of words. "That's supposed to be your line." She turned to Arashi. "How did you know my name?"

"I witnessed the chunin exams over two years ago. Your attacks are strong, but you should make them more turbulent. Remember that the primary attribute of wind style is distortion."

Her eyebrows rose. "Eh~, okay~."

Arashi smiled at Shikamaru. "Just to let you know, I won't be leaving you alone until you let me work with you. Also, I am a master of making a scene." The clone disappeared.

Temari smirked widely. "Oh~, I wish I could stick around to see _this_."

Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome."

**Back with the original.**

Lee had already arrived and was running along the building. Just like Hinata, he had trouble staying on the building when he reached the edges. It was even more difficult considering that Arashi demanded that he takes off his training weights so they don't help him by slowing him or increasing traction. Hanabi, Neji, and a third Arashi watched. One thing about the training caught Neji's attention. "I can't believe that Lee hasn't caught up with Hinata-sama yet. He is~ falling down more often than she, but his running speed is beyond most jonin; including myself. How much has Hinata-sama improved if she is able to match both Lee's speed and stamina?" He took a step back at Arashi getting into his face. "What?"

"You may be a jonin, but that is no reason to relax. I have sent clones all over the village to train Hinata-chan's old classmates as well as Tenten. I don't think that it would be smart to let yourself get left out."

"I am more than capable of training on my own. I do not require your assistance."

"Sheesh, I was just talking about sparing. That is honestly the best thing I can think off for you without giving you all the jutsu I worked with Hinata-chan on."

Hanabi stepped up. "What kind of jutsu does Nee-chan know now?"

Arashi was more than happy to reply. "Well, usually people work on learning a large number of jutsu for a variety of situations. In Hinata-chan's case, I only had to work on the jutsu that she created on her own. It's versatility far surpassed that of a normal jutsu."

"Are you talking about Protective Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms."

Arashi chuckled. "Like Hinata-chan's reserved self, that name is in the past. It is now~ called Eight Trigrams: Chakra Blade Barrier. This new version is much stronger. Would you like me to show you the difference." He stepped back a bit. "This is the first one." He focused chakra in the middle of his palms and began to show off the jutsu for just a few seconds.

Neji watched with his Byakugan activated. "His aura matches the aura of most Hyuga performing a clan jutsu. This is defiantly something Hinata-sama created. It is a fabulous substitute for being unable to perform the Sixty-Four Palms or the Rotation. I wonder what the _improved _version is like."

Arashi stopped and took on a slight change in stance. "Eight Trigrams: Chakra Blade Barrier."

Through his experience, Neji suddenly got the feeling that if he got too close, he would be killed. Arashi's body quickly disappeared within a pure dome of chakra. Each piece of chakra seemed to be different in one way or another. Each difference also appeared to be deliberate. "Could this truly be a jutsu Hinata sama-can perform. It is truly a perfect fusion of the precision of Sixty-Four Palms and the power of the Rotation."

Arashi looked at the two Hyuga's expressions. Both were impressed, but their ages dictated how they expressed that feeling. "I may have exaggerated Hinata-chan's power a bit, but you two get the ideal" He focused on Neji. "Are you sure that you still don't want to learn from me Neji. What do you have to lose?"

Neji looked Arashi straight in the eyes. "Not only has Hinata-sama attained stamina rivaling my teammate's, she has a jutsu that the clan will forever acknowledge her for creating. I accept your offer." He took up the Hyuga fighting stance. "Show me that it wasn't a mistake to leave Hinata-sama under your care."

Arashi smirked. "That was a cool line, but pretty naïve. Teaching actually runs in the blood of the Ayama clan. I always have at least some idea of what to do with someone. I can't wait until all the new memories are all put together. I should be having all kinds of fun right now."

Out in an open training field, Sakura and Ino found themselves being swung around by the same dance training that he used on Hinata to teach her rhythm. A clone waited in the middle of a dense forest area with Shino hiding within the leaves. The reverse situation was true for Kiba. The clone for Tenten handed her a black ball and a bunch of black spikes. The clone dealing with the Akimichi pair surprised them by blocking out their jutsu with a momentary large scale Chakra Screen. The one targeting Shikamaru decided to spend his time setting put traps/pranks that Shikamaru would have to put some actually effort into avoiding.

* * *

**I decided to simply skip to Naruto's return and have the teachings as flashbacks. Now Arashi will go back to being a side character with Naruto and Hinata being the focus. I do this because my favor towards this story is fading. I honestly like the other one more. The next title is sort-of self-explanatory at this point.**

**PS: Points to whomever can figure out what the lightning jutsu was for.**

**Next Chapter: Naruto's Return.**


	57. Naruto's Return: Chapter 57

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. **I don't want to write anything for this one.**)

* * *

**Hey, it's her birthday again. Not only that, but it is the chapter that I decided Naruto would return in. Like a year ago, I wish that I planned for this to happen. I wonder if the next year will include yet another coincidence like this.**

**This is also chapter 57. That means I released 30 chapters in one year for just this story. I have to say that I have an impressive update record.**

**12-27-09**

"**Naruto's Return"**

**Five months after Hinata's return.**

Two figures walked through the gates of Konoha with a smile on one face while the other had a slight frown. "Even with a years worth of time to spend not teaching him anything, Naruto was able to soak up anything that I tried to teach him. I even had to move onto Chakra Nature Manipulation. Not only did he complete that, he managed to combine in with the Rasengan. He tested it only once, which left his arm useless for a few weeks. He still caught up by using those infernal clones of his. With still two months left, I had one last thing I could think to teach him. The infuriating thing was that he couldn't use his clones like before yet he was able to master the skill beyond what I can do in just a month. I'm totally spent and I'm sure that Tsunade won't mind if I come a month early."

The two walked down a street with only a few people bothering to look at this. The one in the tiger designed outfit suddenly ran up a pole and onto a tall building. "He ran through some hand-seals and focused his chakra. "Voice Projection Jutsu. … KONOHA~~ NARUTO UZUMAKI HAS RETURNED!"

Jiraiya chuckled a bit. "That was a jutsu he learned at Kumo because they thought that his set of skills would make him a great distraction. I have to say that they are right. This specific jutsu allows him to spread his voice out over very large areas. It is little louder at the point of origin as where it ends, yet others can tell where~ the voice is coming from. It makes since that he would use it to broadcast his return."

**Out in the streets of the marketing and entertainment district, a few seconds earlier:**

Lee and Hinata faced down a street bustling with countless numbers of people; countless numbers of eyes. They wore a bunch of bulky accessories that weighed more than they looked. The also wore restraints under their clothes. For the moment, Arashi wanted them to be only as fast as twice the speed of the average civilian, which was plenty slow enough for someone to notice them running by. This was an issue because they were supposed to get through without anyone getting a single glimpse. Groups of Arashi clones were on the building tops watching to make sure they didn't break the condition. "These months of training have been fun. Variety truly is~ the spice of life."

The two ran through the crowd in a very jagged path. With the many times they did this, they had no trouble staying completely out of sight in a place with a hundred eyes. "KONOHA~~ NARUTO UZUMAKI HAS RETURNED!" The two stopped right in place. No one noticed them though because of the sudden voice.

Hinata's eyes began to widen as a slight blush began to develop. "N … Naruto-kun." She slowly turned to the direction. "Does this mean that he is back?"

Arashi landed right next to her. "I think that it's time that you go see your boyfriend."

Hinata gasped. "H-h-h-he. … He's not m, ah~~~." Arashi picked her up and jumped up to the roof tops. He followed up by heading straight for the Hokage's tower.

In seconds, he was able to drop her off. "Naruto-kun should be coming by here pretty soon. I have to go tell that your mission with me is now concluded."

Hinata gave him a blank expression. "It is impossible to predict Arashi-shishō's every passing whim, even when they are based on what happens around him. I'm starting to think that he makes things up as he goes and they just _happen_ to fall into place by shear unusual luck." She let out a sigh as she walked out of the building. "I don't have to do what Arashi-shishō said I should. I have changed over these years; so I don't need to do what I used to." She stopped at a corner. "Well~~, a single peek wouldn't hurt." She turned around and leaned her head past the corner for a clear view. In just a few seconds, a young blond shinobi wearing tiger designed clothing appeared. Her eyes widened. "Is that … Naruto-kun. He looks … a bit wild."

As he walked into the building, a window above opened. Arashi quickly jumped out of the building, much to the Hokage's ire. It wasn't hard for him to notice Hinata around the corner. "The fun never ends."

She jumped as he landed next to her. "Wh-wh-what are you doing?" He quirked an eyebrow, eliciting some anger. "I asked what the big idea was?"

Arashi smiled. "Everything I do is for my personal amusement."

She gave him a flat gaze. "He finally admits it."

"It looks like you are back to your old habits. He looks pretty good in that tiger design, right?" She just blushed and adverted her eyes a bit. "I thought so."

She noticed his inflated expression and developed some frustration. "Are you telling me that you made that thing?" She glared and crossed her arms. "Did you give it to him during one of those times you met him without telling me?"

"Why are you asking me that Hinata-chan? You~ are the one who gave it to him."

She blushed and leaned back. "What, when did I do that?"

"Don't you remember? It was in that box that I had you give him almost three years ago. Certainly you remember that I made something for him as a tailor. That outfit he is where was in that box. It is made the same way our outfits are made as well." He leaned in with a smile. "This means that he has been wearing something that would act as a never ending reminder of you for the last three years." Her face turned bright red, which Arashi laughed at. "I can't believe that you are still like that. I actually thought that I made a bigger impact than that."

She huffed. "That's enough. This is the last time you make fun at my expense." He just quirked an eyebrow. "Right~~. I should have realized how stupid that sounded before I said anything. Arashi-shishō will always find a way to annoy me."

"Well~, I am going to disappear for a bit." He did just as he said he would.

Hinata let out a sigh. "If I had a tiny smidgen of confidence for every-time Arashi-shishō made me sigh, I would be able to walk up to Naruto-kun and kiss him; maybe even further than that." She walked away a bit before finally noticing that she was still wearing her restraints. Since they were chakra based, she only had to put a small amount of chakra into her right shoulder to lower it enough for her to start running through the rooftops.

**The Hokage's room:**

Tsunade let out a sigh. "Now I have two headaches in the village. It wasn't like that Arashi wasn't bad enough. Now Naruto is back. Combined, those two may manage to surpass any hangover I've had or will ever have. How has the training gone Jiraiya. It _must_ have been very fruitful for you to decide that you need to return a month early."

Jiraiya developed a boastful posture. "Who~ do you think you are talking too Tsunade-hime. I promise that Naruto here is _nothing_ like what he was three years ago. He's proven that the Kyūbi is no longer an issue for him."

Naruto mirrored Jiraiya's stance. "He's got that right Baa-chan. That furball just gets in my way now. I doubt that I'll be needing his help ever again."

Tsunade smiled. "That is good to hear. It sounds like I won't have to worry about you too much. Do you honestly think that you can handle the Akatsuki. I know that their numbers have fallen, but some of the stronger people we know of are still at large."

Naruto smiled. "Don't worry Baa-chan. I can handle them~ just fine. "

"I don't want you getting cocky. It is very important that you never forget how dangerous your situation is."

"Now~, now~ Tsunade-hime. You don't need to be so~ tough on the kid. I'm sure that he can handle himself just fine. We should let him just go out for a bit while we take care of the talking. I'm sure that he can find something he can do in the mean time."

Tsunade let out a sigh. "I guess that you are~ right about this matter. There were some important _issues_ that I had to tell him, but I probably can save it for later. Just make sure you remain calm if you meet with a familiar face."

That confused him. "Okay~ then. I'm going." He noticed a open window and made use of it.

"I wish that people would stop doing that."

Naruto performed a 180 turn and headed straight for the Hokage Monument and all the way up to the fourth's head. He turned towards the village and dropped to a crossed leg sitting position. "Calm down and let it flow into me." He began to feel his sensory perception changing completely. Every single chakra signature became clear as day for him. He scanned out and didn't take long for him to find his target. He used his new level of power to quickly arrive near the area.

He pushed the nature chakra out and walked down the road a bit. He quickly noticed the person he was looking for. Naruto started to head for her, but he found it suddenly difficult. "What am I _doing?_ Since when couldn't I talk to someone." He took a deep breath. "I need to calm down. But, but; why'd she have to have long hair now? Ever since that weird Arashi guy talked to me about that stuff, I've realized that I have a thing for long hair. It isn't like I didn't spend enough time thinking about her."

As she turned a corner, he jumped to a roof top and continued ahead of her. He only peaked out for an instant before pulling back. "Her cloths are different too. I never thought she'd wear something like _that_. I know that most girls _want_ to look good, but that's just too much. Does she want every guy staring at her." He stood up and shook his head with his hand over his ears. "WHAT AM I DOING~? I'M PRACTICALLY A STALKER RIGHT NOW! THERE'S NO WAY HINATA-CHAN WOULD EVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!" He turned away and started walking off. "I should go before I take this too far."

Hinata stopped in the middle of the street with a confused expression. "I can't believe that I was about to go back to my old stalking habits. I've already done a year's worth of my free time doing that. Any more would be too much. I should just talk to him." She looked up to the sky with clenched fists. "That's right. All I have to do is talk to him. Arashi-shishō didn't put me through all that embarrassment by transforming into Naruto-kun for just his amusement." Her expression soured. "At least that's what I'd like to believe." Her previous expression returned. "If I can't talk to Naruto kun, then what was all that embarrassment for. Now that I have changed, it's time for me to change the world around me."

**The next day:**

The sun filtered into a still fairly dusty room. The blond tenant slowly opened his eyes before stretching. He looked at the morning sunlight for three seconds before standing up. "Ever since that training in Kumo, I have been getting up much earlier. The bad part is that I don't even mind." He went through his morning ritual of dressing, ramen, etc. "I wonder what kind of mission I can get from Baa-chan." A wide smile ran across his face. "Maybe I can get my first S-ranked mission." In half an hour, he was pushing the doors to the Hokage's office open. "HEY BAA-CHAN! WHAT KIND OF MISSION'S YOU GOT FOR ME?" He looked left and saw a familiar face with blue eyes and a dark blue windbreaker. He pointed in anger. "IT'S YOU! WHAT ARE YOU~ DOING HERE?"

The man waved in a Kakashi-like manner. "Yo." Tsunade and Shizune laughed at his skilled impersonation of the lazy jonin. "What brings you~ here Naruto-kun?"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING HERE?"

"I was busy discussing something with your Hokage here." He turned to Tsunade. "Since the paperwork for the prior requirement is complete, what do you think about my proposal?"

"I think you have a very great idea. Honestly, it hard to believe that you thought of it just yesterday. I'm~ sure that you planned it from long ago. After all that's happened, you have more than earned my trust. Even though you practically did so by force."

"What are you guys talking about?"

Arashi smiled at the question. "Do you know that you are one of the few of your class that has not taken the rank of chunin yet? Imagine that someone of your skill level is still a genin."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Not at all. That is what I was talking to Tsunade about. I have an idea for you to attend the Chunin Exams that will be occurring in one month from now. I even chose your teammates for this Chunin Exams. The first of them should be walking through the door right now."

Naruto turned to the door in time to see it opening. His eyes widened when he saw the person walking through. "It can't be."

That person also stopped in place. "What is Naruto-kun doing here?"

Naruto quickly fought of his rising blush. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be a chunin like the others by now."

Arashi lifted his index finger. "Actually, she would be one normally, but she isn't for a reason very similar to why you aren't one. Just before you left on your training mission, I paid for a three year long escort mission with my choice of shinobi. This was just a ruse so that I could train Hinata-chan as I saw fit. I have to say that the results speak for themselves at the level she's at now."

"Then does this mean~?"

Arashi smiled widely. "That's~ right Naruto-kun. Hinata will be your teammate for the Chunin Exams a month from now."

"NANI~~?" Hinata blushed bright red at such a outburst right in-front of her romantic interest. She looked down and started fiddling with her fingers.

Arashi's eye twitched. "I hope that she doesn't plan on keeping that up. It may be amusing, but I put too much work into knocking out her nervousness for it to return just like this. Looks like I'll have to up the ante. I know just who can help me with that." Arashi walked up to behind Naruto and place a hand on his shoulders. "Come over here and face the door Hinata-chan."

She hopped a bit before complying with the simple request. Tsunade took in a deep breath, preparing herself for what she knew was coming. "I'm not sure that even someone like Arashi can prevent an outburst." She pushed a button on her desk. "You can send him in now."

Arashi smiled in amusement as the seconds passed. The grin reached full size when the doorknob turned. "Here is your third teammate."

As the door's opening widened, so did Naruto's eyes.

* * *

**I'm having fun with this one and I love the fact that my computer is working properly now. Turns out that the problem was that the brass that connects to the battery had some residue on it. After cleaning it off, all the problems just fixed themselves. Now I can finally not worry about being able to turn this thing on. That's enough of my personal problems.**

**Next Chapter: The Strongest Genin.**


	58. The Strongest Genin: Chapter 58

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. After a long time's pass, Naruto returned to Konoha. He had no hesitation in announcing his arrival in the village. This shocked Hinata and put Arashi into secret planning mode. As Naruto made his way to the Hokage's Tower, Hinata stationed herself there to get a look at him. She berated herself for doing that as the blond made his way to the Hokage's office. After the meeting was over for him, Naruto climbed to the top of the monuments and pulled on the power of nature to search for someone. He found her and spied for a bit, only to berate his actions like she happened to be doing in that same moment. In the next day, Naruto headed for the Hokage's tower for his first mission. Much to his surprise, he found Arashi there. He was quickly told how he was still a genin and that he will be attending the next Chunin Exams. His first teammate was introduced to be Hinata, much to both of their surprise. As Arashi restrained Naruto, the third walked through the door.)

* * *

**Something will happen in this chapter that will make up for when Arashi chased Naruto down with a tree.**

**1-17-10**

"**The Strongest Genin"**

Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. This must have been some kind of joke, because he could not be seeing the person that he thinks he is. It is even more unbelievable considering that Tsunade hasn't tried to attack him yet. The guy had the same white hair, the same glasses, and the same infernal smile. The only difference was the clothing he was wearing, which was simple and completely grey with a small hood. The only decoration was a light purple symbol on the front that looked like a staff with a single snake spiraled around it to the top. After looking at the person for a few seconds, Naruto finally snapped. "WHAT ARE YOU~ DOING HERE KABUTO?"

He would have charged in to attack, but Arashi held him down. Arashi looked at Kabuto seriously. "You shouldn't look at Naruto-kun with that smile. I believe that it annoys him."

He chuckled a bit. "I do believe that's the point."

Naruto turned and glared at Arashi. "LET ME GO! DON'T YOU KNOW WHO THIS IS?"

"Yes … yes I do. He is Kabuto Yakushi and your third teammate for the Chunin Exams."

Naruto froze in place for the moment as that information assimilated into his brain. "ARE YOU SERIOUS? I RATHER YOU BAT ME AROUND WITH TREES AGAIN THAN HAVE TO TEAM UP WITH HIM!"

Hinata's ears twitched at this. She looked at Arashi with a strong glare. "That's right Hinata-chan, but I expected him to at least try to destroy the tree or something. Even if he didn't, the body hardening training I had him go through was more than enough to help him withstand the damage."

She walked right up to Arashi's face, paying no actual mind to Naruto being right next to him. "HOW INSANE CAN YOU GET? WHAT PERSON IN THEIR RIGHT MIND HITS ANYONE~ WITH A _TREE_?"

"These two need to put their mouths to better use." He suddenly grabbed both Naruto and Hinata by the back of their heads and pushed their lips together before they could even think to resist.

…

…

…

…

Both Hinata and Naruto fainted on the spot. Arashi caught them by their coats before the backs of their heads could meet the floor. He then set them down gently. Shizune and Tsunade looked on slack-jawed as Kabuto clutched his hand sides and chuckled endlessly into his. "This is hilarious."

Tsunade tried to blink a few time to make sure that she saw right, but it was just too shocking for her. "I didn't think that there was _anything_ he could do to calm those two down at that point." She looked directly at him. "Where … did you come up with that?"

Arashi just smiled. "Don't know. Perhaps it is through the hand of Kami-sama that I develop these quick ideas."

She narrowed her eyes. "As if~. You are just mentally unstable. I don't know what we are going to do now. We can't exactly finish explaining everything with them being unconscious like this."

"Want to have some fun with them while they are out."

"I think you had enough… thank you very much. In case you have forgotten, you just _forced_ both of them into their first kiss. They have enough personal problems to deal with without you~ adding fuel to the fire."

Arashi leaned his head back and smiled. "Sometimes the most beautiful flower blooms after a fierce blaze."

Kabuto chuckled as Tsunade glared at him. "Did he make that up on the spot?"

Shizune smiled. "Arashi-kun can be surprisingly deep even when he is just playing around. It's as if he is many men in one body."

"Besides, I believe that you are also guilty of not walking the path you preach. How else would you have a picture of those two cuddled up as you planned?"

Tsunade leaned back a bit. "I can't believe that he still remembers that little detail."

Kabuto tilted his head a bit. "I think you shouldn't try to top what you've done Arashi-sama. The first thing I came up with was to strip them to their underwear and stick them in a room together."

Even Arashi looked at Kabuto with narrowed eyes. "You have a sick mind Kabuto-kun."

He only smiled wider. "It would make for an interesting experiment. Which one will scream louder?"

"Replay my previous statement in your head." He looked at the two sleeping genin. "We should at least get them off of the floor." He walked up to Hinata and gently slung her over his shoulder. As he walked to a couch, he swept the small amounts of foreign matter out of her clothes and hair before placing her on the couch. He then picked up Naruto and did the same. After that, he decided that Hinata should be leaning on Naruto's shoulder.

Tsunade let out a sigh. "You just don't know when to stop, do you?"

"That's not true Tsunade-chan. If I didn't know when to stop, they'd be well~ past third base. All I really did towards that goal was giving them detailed information on their organs and on how to give the partner a good time."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Are you telling me that you gave them the _talk_?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing. I'll have you know that my information is surprisingly accurate. Not a word of my information was inaccurate."

Her eyes narrowed. "Not to insult you, but the number of _women_ who know everything are surprisingly low even though it is our more complex bodies that cause a majority of problems."

"Don't you think that I know that? The first thing that I told~ Hinata-chan was that the first time pain young women experience is from rapid contractions of floor muscles due to nervousness, not from some ultra thin membrane."

Tsunade's eyes widened again. "Well~, it appears that I didn't give you enough credit. It's very impressive that you know that. The previous idea has been going on for so long that most people believe it very strongly. It is even prevalent in many medical institutions."

"I am glad you approve." Arashi noticed that Naruto was beginning to stir. He walked up to the blond and just waited right in front of his face. He tried to back away the instant he opened his eyes. Arashi put a finger over his lips and shushed Naruto. "Keep quiet. She is still sleeping."

Naruto noticed him pointing directly at Hinata, who happened to be sleeping on his shoulder. In that instant, he was able to recall what happened just before he blacked out, resulting in a massive reddening of his face that rivaled Hinata's old records. Just having her on his shoulder made him so uncomfortably nervous, he couldn't even begin to think about what he should do. The events that transpired when he ran into Hinata before leaving the village ran clearly through his head. When he saw her begin to stir, Naruto backed away quickly, unintentionally letting her head hit the couch.

In her daze, she looked up with half lidded eyes. "Naruto-kun…. Is this a dream?"

She crawled forward in a way that actually scared Naruto a bit. "Whoa, wait, wh-what are you doing?"

Hinata slowly started to snap out of her stupor and noticed that she looked like she was actually stalking Naruto. She looked around and noticed that the men were snickering like crazy while the women were a bit slack jawed. After remembering her situation, Hinata was completely mortified. Since the fainting was out of her system, she could only run away. As soon as seeing that the window was the best exit, she was out in a flash. Arashi watched the escape while bringing his laughter under control. "All things considered, that went very well."

The women looked right at him. "How can he be proud of that disaster?"

In just a matter of moments, Hinata found a small forested area and began to pace at a speed that could really wear a hole into the ground. It didn't take long for Arashi to find her. "There you are Hinata-chan. Let's go back and talk this through."

"What's-wrong-with-you-Arashi-shishō?-What-possessed-you-to-do-something-that-crazy?-That-was-my-first-kiss.-I-know-that-I-wanted-it-to-be-Naruto-kun-but-that-was-too-much.-What-should-I-do?-What-should-I-say?-Naruto-kun-could-have-lost-his-first-kiss.-I-remember-that-one-time-he-kissed-Sasuke-san-but-that-never-really-counted-to-me.-Sure-I-was-jealous-of-Sasuke-san-but-I-still-would-have-wanted-a-real-kiss.-It-really-worried-me-when-all-those-girls-suddenly-attacked-him.-I-knew-that-he-would-be-okay-though.-He-has-always-been-stronger-than-he-looks.-He-even-proved-that-to-me-by-defeating-Neji-nii-san.-Felt-like-I-loved-him-even-more-after-hearing-that-though-I-haven't-figured-that-out-till-later." She quickly turned towards Arashi. "THIS-IS-YOUR-FAULT!-CAN'T-YOU-ACT-NORMALLY-FOR-ONCE?-YOU-ARE-ALLWAYS-DOING-STUFF-LIKE-THAT!-THE-FIRST-TIME-WAS-WHEN-YOU-TRANSFORMED-INTO-NARUTO-KUN-AND-SLIPPED-INTO-MY-BED!-YOU-ACTUALLY-MADE-ME-THINK-THAT-I-HAD-KIDS-WITH-HIM!-WHY-DO-YOU-ALWAYS-MAKE-JOKES-OUT-OF-MY-FEELINGS-FOR-NARUTO-KUN?" She huffed and puffed from the exhaustion of that rapid rant. "LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU!"

Arashi stopped looked up at the sky and looked down at Hinata. "I was just using the sun to keep track of the seconds as you spoke. You could have broken the record for most words spoken in ten seconds."

"THIS IS NOT FUNNY ARASHI-SHISHŌ!"

Arashi placed his hand on Hinata's shoulder and smiled. "You need to calm down Hinata-chan. It's not as bad as you are making it out to be. You are an absolutely gorgeous young woman that any man worth being called a man would want to give up anything just to have a chance with you. For me personally, I would give up twenty years of training, experience, and growing just so we can be the same age."

Hinata blushed lightly and narrowed her eyes. "Arasi-shishō~."

Arashi chuckled. "That's my Hinata-chan. Now let's go back to that room and show Naruto-kun the bombshell that he has surpassed having the pure honor of simply being friends with. If you can show him that you are no longer the girl you once was, but a young woman, you can show the world. So far, you have been mainly sugar and everything nice. Now, it's time to show off your spice."

Hinata smiled and nodded. "Hai."

**Moments later back in the Hokage's office:**

"H-hello N-N-Naruto-kun."

Arashi looked at Hinata with an exhausted expression. "You have got to be kidding me. That had to have been one of the best speeches of my life. How~ could she possibly change back so fast? It looks like the only spice she has to go with all that sugar is cinnamon. It's ironic considering that her favorite sweets are cinnamon buns. It could be up to Naruto to finally break that girl out of her shell." Arashi smiled like he had a scheme. "Perhaps I should redirect my focus."

"I think that it is time that we get back to why we are here in the first place. We are here so we can inform the three of you that you will be attending the upcoming Chunin Exams together. I wanted to tell you as soon as possible because I knew that there will be some issues." She looked directly at Naruto. "I especially mean you Naruto. When Arashi brought Kabuto back to the village, my reaction was very similar to yours. If anyone other than Arashi brought him in, Kabuto would likely be dead right now. Since he is being kept alive, we had him thoroughly checked out by the best of the best. They all agree that Kabuto has honestly changed the way he looks at other people and the world; though it isn't always a good thing. Even if he decides to return to what he was in the past, we have someone who can easily bring Kabuto under control. This man will actually be acting as your temporary jonin sensei for this trip."

Naruto smiled widely. "Really, does this mean that I get to see Kakashi-sensei again?"

Tsunade smirked. "While I am sure that Kakashi would love the way you so quickly praised his skills, he is not at the level where he could easily~ bring Kabuto in. One of the few people that I think can actually fit that criterion is standing in this room."

Kabuto stepped forward. "If I may speak Hokage-sama, I would like to say something about that."

Tsunade nodded. "At least he is polite. He may be learning from that ridiculously unpredictable Arashi, but his manners are excellent. I guess that they have to be to survive being Orochimaru's second in command."

"While I agree that Arashi-sama is certainly much stronger than me, he is not the only one that could defeat me. Though I did not see it directly, I heard of how Hinata-san was able to fight a certain someone on even grounds. At that time, I knew that I would have actually lost if I ever fought him. Additionally, I know that Naruto-kun has received much of the same training that Hinata-san has received. With these factors taken into account, I believe that all members of this team are stronger than I am." He turned towards Naruto. "I hope that you will do your best to protect me."

Naruto blinked a few times before getting angry. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE REALLY STRONG? WHAT DO YOU NEED ME FOR?"

Arashi chuckled before placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder. The blond quickly backed away after remembering that strange things can happen if you let Arashi so much as touch you. "Kabuto-kun is just being lazy. All of you will be up against actual genin. He could run through the exams on his own if he actually wanted to. He just doesn't want to."

Naruto glared at Kabuto, who simply smiled at him. Not wanting to look at that smile, Naruto turned his frustrations to Tsunade. "Why do I have to be teamed up with this guy. He's nothing but trouble."

Tsunade glared fiercely. "I've heard enough. This is more of a mission than anything else. Put together, you three make up one of the strongest group of genin to ever exist. The idea that any of you can't return as a chunin is absolutely ludicrous. This is more of a test to you Naruto. If you can't reconcile with past issues to act as a team, you can't expect to get very far as a leader of any kind."

Arashi smiled. "You should consider the kiss you just had one of those issues."

Naruto and Hinata developed a bright blush. Naruto quickly turned to Arashi. "THAT WAS YOUR FAULT! DON'T TRY TO ACT NORMAL!"

Arashi chuckled. "That's funny. Hinata-chan used quite a number of those words against me not too long ago. You two are more alike than first appearances may dictate. You can take this as the word of one who has trained both of you." They both blushed again.

"I THOUGHT I SAID ENOUGH!" They all turned towards the angry Tsunade. "If we keep going at this rate, I'll die of old age before we finish. There are some last details you need to hear."

Arashi quickly interrupted. "I will be acting as your jonin sensei. These chunin exams will be held in Kumo. We are leaving very early so we can get some extra training in while we are there. The time we are leaving for Kumo is the morning after tomorrow." Arashi suddenly disappeared.

Tsunade felt ready to kill someone, but managed to pull her anger in. "That about sums it up. I expect all of you to be ready by that time; dismissed." Kabuto nodded before leaving as Naruto and Hinata still tried to make some sense of it all.

* * *

**This chapter is considerably late, though it's still out on the right day. I should be able to get back to the swing of things now that I have my computer back.**

**PS: I have actually been thinking about releasing a special excerpt where Arashi is giving his sex talk to Hinata and Naruto. I was thinking of using it to release what I know about many details. Some would be surprised at how many myths concerning sex that I would right out discredit. One example is in this chapter. I would like some feedback on this.**

**Next Chapter: Back in Kumo.**


	59. Back in Kumo: Chapter 59

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. As soon as that door opened, Naruto had himself a fit. The last thing that he wanted was to have Kabuto as a teammate. During his fit, he revealed that Arashi attacked him with a tree, which Hinata reacted angrily to. This gave Arashi a chance to forcefully make them kiss. They later woke up and remembered the very embarrassing event. Hinata ran away and Arashi gave chase and a speech. Even with the major pep-talk, Hinata could barely speak to Naruto. He had the same problem. Finally, they were able to get to the point of when they need to be prepared and where they are going.)

* * *

**1-31-10**

"**Back in Kumo"**

The four Konoha shinobi leisurely traveled down the path to Kumo. Hinata let out another one of her many sighs. Arashi placed a hand on her shoulder. "You really shouldn't worry about what your father thinks. It doesn't matter if he doesn't approve of you attending the Chunin Exams in Kumo."

Kabuto chuckled. "That's an amusing thing for you to say Arashi-sama considering that it was a Kumo shinobi that almost took Hinata-san and the Byakugan secret from him."

Arashi echoed the chuckle. "I know. I was just trying to make a bad joke."

Through all this, Naruto was conflicted from wanting to comfort Hinata or wanting to hit his head against a tree to drown out Arashi and Kabuto. "I was already having trouble not slamming Kabuto with another Rasengan. Now I really want to kill him."

Even with Arashi's words, Hinata couldn't help but worry about her father's reaction to the news.

**Flashback:**

Hinata made her way back to her room after hearing that she will soon attempt to become a chunin. Without even noticing, she passed by her father's meditation room. "Hinata."

She flinched at hearing her father's voice. "I completely forgot about him being there. I've been training so much that I usually come home when he's doing something else." She took in a deep breath and walked into the room. "Calm down Hinata. I might be unable to handle Naruto-kun yet but I can at least face down Otou-sama."

He looked at her silent and still as she approached, waiting for the right amount of distance to be closed. "Take a seat." Hinata slowly lowered herself into a perfect replication of the _proper_ way to sit. "It has been some time since you have returned home early and rested. Is that mission with your shishō finally over?"

She barely made out his disdain for Arashi in his voice. "Hai, it is Otou-sama. Arashi-shishō decided to end the mission after he learned of Naruto-kun's return."

"Why would he do that?"

It took considerable will power not to blush or put her fingers to her lips. "For his own amusement."

"No matter. Now we can finally perform a long overdue evaluation of your skills."

Hinata remembered how Tsunade told her to relax for now and prepare for the trip to Kumo. "Gomen, I cannot do that now. I must prepare for a trip soon."

He narrowed his eyes. "What trip would that be?"

"I will be leaving for the Chunin Exams in the morning after tomorrow."

Hiashi leaned forward with widened eyes. "I FORBID IT!" Hinata flinched back from the furious yet controlled outburst. "ARE YOU NOT AWARE OF WHICH VILLAGE IS HOSTING THE EXAMS?" Hinata nodded, at which Hiashi relaxed his sitting position. "If you know, then you understand why I forbid your attendance."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Am I just going to lose my chance to become a chunin with Naruto-kun." She looked down for a few seconds before looking up with a serious expression. "No."

Hiashi leaned back from the shock. "What … was that?" He moved back forward. "I believe that I misheard you."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "I said no. You may not know this Otou-sama, but I have been to Kumo before. Arashi-shishō took me there as part of my training. He even left me there for around eight months while he was out doing something else."

Hiashi took a few seconds to assimilate that information. "THAT ARASHI IS A FOOL! HE DOESN'T EVEN CARE FOR YOUR SAFETY! _NOW~_ I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH! AS YOUR FATHER, I FORBID YOUR ATTENDANCE!"

Depending on a person's point of view, Hiashi's words pressed either the right or the wrong button in Hinata's psyche. She leaned forward and glared at him fiercely. "ARASHI-SHISHŌ WAS A BETTER FATHER THAN YOU EVER WERE!" More than anything else ever did, this shocked Hiashi. After a few seconds of watching her father's shocked expression, Hinata stood up and stomped off.

**Flashback end.**

"After leaving my clan's compound, I ran into Arashi-shishō. He could immediately tell that I was distraught. Since he never backs off when curious, I eventually had to tell him about what happened. He let me stay at his place and even provided me with enough supplies to make the trip." She looked at him. "Even though I no longer need to be near him, he seems to always manage being there for me. I regret saying that to Otou-sama, but Arashi-shishō really is like the father I never had."

Arashi walked up to Naruto. "Do you plan on spending some time with Hinata-chan when we get there Naruto-kun?"

Hinata blushed at how Arashi made sure she heard that. "Though he could use a little more tact."

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!"

Arashi smirked at Naruto. "Everything and nothing."

Kabuto chuckled at this. "Considering Arashi-sama's personality, this abnormal behavior is~ normal. Your single status is a source of his amusement as well as mine."

"Like you're any different."

He only smirked. "But I am. Soon after I was released from my quarantine, I decided to find myself a romantic partner. That alone is amusing to me considering that I do not think that I am the type of person capable of expressing love. Regardless, the attempt was fairly successful."

"WHO WOULD GO OUT WITH YOU?"

"I don't think that it would be wise for me to tell you."

Arashi laughed loudly. "That's for sure. If he told you who she was, you'd freak. I doubt that you'd have the same kind of reaction at the identity of my present girlfriend. Out of all the jonin that were around my age, I got the best feeling from Shizune-chan."

"YOU'RE DATING SHIZUNE-NEE-CHAN?"

"Do you always have to be so loud and surprised. Is it really that difficult to believe that I would have a girlfriend right now. It wasn't very hard for me to romance her considering that the first thing I said to her was that she was a greater beauty than Tsunade and Kurenai. For girls that look plain to the average eye, this is an amazing complement for them to receive."

Naruto glared at him. "If she's average, then are you just waiting for someone else?"

"I am _not_ that fickle. I have told Shizune-chan directly that her physical beauty may be above average but it honestly doesn't reach Tsunade and Kurenai. I quickly followed by saying that I would pick her over them any day. It didn't take her long to learn that she should expect complete honesty from me, not false flattery."

Naruto's glare became even more fierce. "Every time I~ do that, I wind up getting hit. It doesn't even matter if it was an accident."

Hinata sighed. "How can you get away with that Arashi-shishō?"

"Easy ... honest flattery is one of my many talents. Though I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't taken the wrong way on more than one occasion."

"I don't understand how you act like this Arashi-shishō."

"It's simpler than you think Hinata-chan. Our personalities are almost perfectly opposite. You are reserved and think carefully about your actions while I am expressive and impulsive. In all honesty, I share those traits with Naruto-kun with the difference being that I know everything I am doing and plan it out; at least some of the time. I also have a lot more fun and experience with life."

"I'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!"

"Don't be like that Naruto-kun. Every person has something in common with another person, no matter who they are. It's just that some of those similarities rarely get out into the open when the people meet. Take Kabuto-kun and I for instance. When I wiped his memory, it gave him a chance to look at me with a fresh viewpoint. With that, he found that he has a better affinity with myself than with Orochimaru. Kabuto-kun is attracted to power and entertainment, and I got the snake beat on both."

Kabuto chuckled. "I agree."

Naruto glared at them. "You two are so~ annoying."

"If we are so~ annoying, then why haven't you tried to kill us yet."

Naruto's eyebrow began twitching like crazy. "Don't tempt me."

Arashi noticed Naruto's anger and smirked. "Maybe I should get you to clam down the same way I did in the Hokage's office." Arashi began laughing loudly.

Naruto and Hinata reacted in unison with bright blushing and then quick anger. "THAT WAS NOT FUNNY!"

This only spurred on Arashi's glee while getting Kabuto to chuckle along. As the two got a bit angrier, Arashi reined himself in and lifted his index finger informatively. "This is another example of people having similarities that only needed a chance to get out. For Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan, those similarities are a specialized dislike of me." He faced the path with a big smile. "Its a good thing that they have some similarities. One important trait in a strong romantic relationship is for every two things that are different, there has to be three similarities." He reveled in the embarrassment he knew without a doubt that they were experiencing. "Of course it's perfectly okay to reverse the equation so that there are three things that are different." He turned to Hinata and Naruto who were blushing as he expected. "You two are more like the latter type."

**A few days later.**

The group finally arrived at the gates of Kumo. Naruto and Hinata had an obvious annoyed expression on their faces from a combination of emotions. They were angry because Arashi teased them nonstop during the entire trip. They were exhausted because they couldn't get any good sleep because of what all that teasing got them to thinking. They were frustrated because they knew that any attempt to even talk to the other will only give Arashi more material to tease them with. They were restless because it had been a while since his last tease, meaning that a big one was coming soon. And last but not least, they were embarrassed because of all of the above and because Arashi just recently gave out all of Hinata's physical dimensions. Hinata couldn't refute his claims because she knew her numbers and he was completely right. Naruto had to believe him because he made that claim based upon experience as a tailor.

Arashi ducked down as large electrified needles flew over his head. He slipped back to avoid another slipping by his scalp. He then he lifted himself onto one hand to avoid two hitting his waist. He used his free hand to pull out Setsunamaru and block another from piercing his center. Before he could begin getting to his feet, a large dark figure charged right at him. Arashi pushed up and attacked the figure from above and followed with some quick hand-seals. "Chakra Screen Jutsu."

Suddenly feeling the loss of chakra enhancement, the figure was quickly knocked down by a direct punch. He landed on one hand and spun to his feet while grabbing one of the thrown projectiles. The following slash was quickly blocked by Setsunamaru. He lunged forward and head butted Arashi in the face. Feeling Arashi push back, he tried to punch with his free hand, but his fist was caught. "Yo clever as ever; quick and slick."

"This has become a pattern, in the ways we always meet. Shouldn't there be a turn, for when we just go eat. I know you like to test, yourself and your skills. But it should be put to rest, so that neither kills. I am sure you know well, that someone can gain harm. Your actions you must quell, to prevent fright and alarm. For you it's fun, but I am done."

The man stood strait up and palmed his forehead. "I thought the double rhyme won it, but you topped me with a sonnet."

"What can I say other than I won the day." Arashi relaxed his stance. "In all seriousness, what is amiss?"

"The exams are coming soon. Is that why you're here this afternoon?"

"Hai, that is certainly the case." Arashi waved his hand towards the genin. "These three here will rule the race."

"Well if it isn't Naruto and Hinata-chan." He focused on Hinata. "Haven't seen ya since you n' Arashi ran." He looked at the two and smirked widely. "Roses are red, violets are blue." Hinata already felt her early embarrassment meter going off. "Blondy wants your bed, so he can love you."

The two teenager's faces lit up like red spot lights. This quickly put Arashi in stitches. "Why didn't I~ think of that." Hinata fainted, much to Naruto's concern. He tried to catch her fall, but suddenly blacked out. "This should be funny even though it is not my idea."

**An unknown place at an unknown time:**

Slowly, Naruto's eyes began to open. He quickly noticed that he was resting on a very comfortable surface. His face was exposed to the air but the surrounding area was on a thick round cushion. He soon noticed that his face wasn't the only thing that was exposed to the air. This excluded a soft blanket over his lower half and something that was definitely smaller than his boxers. He lifted himself and looked around. He looked to his left and noticed someone is the same position. The long dark hair identified her as Hinata. His eyes widened as he realized that she was wearing only a little more than he was; and even then the bra was unstrapped. "AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Hearing the sound of the very loud scream, Hinata began to wake up. She pushed herself up and looked at the source of the sound. With just two blinks, she was able to notice that it was Naruto looking right at her. She then noticed her lacking state of dress. "Eep." She quickly laid back down and turned her back to Naruto. She would pulled that towel up, but she was scared of revealing herself again. "Who would do this." She glared directly at the wall. "What am I thinking~? … I am going to kill Arashi-shishō one of these days."

Just outside the door Arashi chuckled before turning to his partner. "Looks like I won the bet Kabuto-kun. I figured from the start that Hinata-chan would be too surprised from the start to let out a lot of noise."

"I knew that it was a lost bet from the beginning, even though it is more like a guessing game since we never wagered anything. What surprises me most is that you did something similar to my idea in this couple's spa."

"You should take it as a complement. I rarely would use anyone else's idea." Arashi began walking away. "Also, we did wager something. The one who loses has to return their clothes." he presented a medium sized bag.

He closed his eyes and smiled. "That's not much of a penalty." When his eyes opened, Arashi was gone and the bag was on the ground. "He is truly powerful." Kabuto took the bag and walked by the room briskly enough to toss the bag in and disappear.

The two teenagers looked and noticed the contents. "You can go first Hinata-chan."

Before she could argue, Naruto rolled off the bed, wrapped himself in the blanket, and curled up in a way that made sure he wouldn't be able to see her.

**Five minutes later:**

A woman walked into the room with a clipboard in front of her face. "I hope you two lovebirds are ready." The clipboard lowered allowing her to notice that the room was empty. "What's this~ about?"

Outside the building, both were completely silent. Hinata's hands were clenched white and her brow was fully furrowed. "This is the worst thing Arashi-shishō has ever done to me. I don't know when, but I will do something." She smirked. "He can bet that he's given me plenty of ideas."

Naruto was too afraid to even speak because the aura that Hinata had around her. "She's just like Sakura-chan and Baa-chan right now." As they approached the address that was on the paper in the bag, Naruto only got more worried. "WHAT DO I DO! IS SHE TRYING TO GET ME WHEN NO ONE CAN SEE!" As soon as they reached the building, Naruto dropped to his knees. "Please don't hurt me. I didn't mean to see."

This quickly broke Hinata out of her anger and into embarrassment. "I-it's okay. It's n-not your f-fault." She glared at the building. "It's Arashi-shishō's."

With that, Naruto knew that he was safe and let out a sigh of relief. "I never thought that Hinata-chan was the type that could get so angry." He looked at her face. "She's still scary."

Hinata opened the door to the building set up for their team's full usage. Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked around. She was disappointed to find that he and Kabuto weren't in the building. She found a nearby couch and sat in it to wait for one of the two to return. "He is not getting away from this one."

Naruto slowly stepped up to Hinata. "Y-you know~; I-I think w-we should talk." As if flipping to the other side of a coin, Hinata's expression changed as soon as she looked at Naruto. "That's a bit creepy."

She blushed cutely and lowered her eyes. "Wh-what about?"

"It just that you are weirding me out a lot now right now."

Her eyes widened. "G-g-g-gomen. I-It's just Arashi-shishō. He n-never seems t-to stop. No m-mater what, h-he manages to find a n-new way to p-push my buttons. N-now he's getting y-you involved Naruto-kun."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I-I kind of feel the same way. I'm annoyed that he's forcing you~ into all this." Naruto averted his eyes and mumbled. "I don't really mind that much."

Hinata just barely caught those words. "Y-you don't."

Naruto laughed nervously. "No; why should I be mad about kissing you." Naruto suddenly realized what he just let out of his mouth, but it was too late.

Hinata blushed brightly. "Y-you know N-Naruto-kun, th-that was m-my first."

Naruto laughed again. "Same here; well~ if you don't include what happened before the team assignments."

Hinata thought about it a few seconds before chuckling softly. "Th-that couldn't have been pleasant."

"I think Hinata-chan is finally relaxing. Don't I know it. I hardly _remember_ the one we~ had." He noticed Hinata whimper a bit, causing him to get concerned. "I-it's not like I hated it. He just pushed us together and I just blacked out from the surprise. It was hardly a real kiss."

"You're right. Neither o-of us has had a-a real~ k-kiss." Her face reddened some more and she glanced up shyly. "Maybe~, w-we sh-should try f-for r-r-real. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? THAT'S TOO BOLD! HOW COULD I EVER SAY THAT!"

"Why not." Hinata looked up in surprise. "W-we deserve a chance t-to try this out ourselves. I really want t-to know what a real one feels like, right."

Hinata's mouth opened a bit, but nothing came out. "What-are-you-doing?-Do-something, anything." She nodded. With that response, Naruto sat down near her. Her heart began beating like crazy as she watched Naruto's face slowly inch towards her. "I can't believe it. This is actually happening to me. I am going to kiss Naruto-kun myself."

She closed her eyes and started to inch closer to Naruto. She could start to feel his breath against her lips, which raised her anxiety. Arashi swung the door open and smiled widely. "I'M BACK~!" He noticed their exact position just before they split apart in surprise. "Did I~ just interrupt their kiss ?"

With Arashi's apearance, Hinata remembered her previous rage. She hopped out of the couch and walked up to Arashi. "GUNGNIR!" Her palms shot out in a fury of blows to Arashi's face and body. He was on his back in seconds. With her anger suspended, Hinata noticed just what happened. "How … did I hit you."

Arashi smirked at her. "I felt like beating myself up over interrupting your kiss, but I figured it would be easier if you did it." He disappeared in time to avoid being stomped on. He made sure to create a large amount of distance between him and Hinata. He stopped at the top of a building. "It looks like those two kids will be able to take it from here." He smiled widely. "I can't help but feel proud."

* * *

**That marks the end of another chapter, and an emotional one at that. As you can see, Naruto and Hinata are finally moving along. Now I can focus on thinking up ideas for the chunin exams in this different village. I am trying to think of something that Kumo would want to create that would consist of what they teach their genin while still being fair to other villages and hard to accomplish for the native genin. I want something like this because if you think about it, the Chunin exams we know of match well to what Team Seven was learning. I have two ideas, but need one good one.**

**Next Chapter: Kumo's Exams**


	60. Kumo's Exam: Chapter 60

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. As the group made they way to Kumo, Hinata concerned herself with the last thing she said to her father, which was essentially that Arashi made for a better father. During the trip, Arashi had no problem continuing his teasing towards the two teenagers. When they arrived, Arashi was attacked by Kirābī. Once the attack was over, they got into a rhyming contest, with Arashi's win. Kirābī turned his attention towards Hinata, which led to her fainting and Naruto getting knocked out. This was a chance for even more embarrassment. After this one, Hinata was pissed off. She hardly paid attention to Naruto since it was Arashi that was on her mind. When they arrived at their abode, Naruto was able to get her to calm down; that was until Arashi unintentionally interrupted their kiss. He actually let Hinata hit him for that before running off.)

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**I decided to just skip over the first part of the exams. I thought of something that could work, but it really wouldn't have been trouble for the team so there's no real point in going over it. The second and third parts will make up for this.**

**2-14-10**

"**Kumo's Exams"**

Naruto, Hinata, and Kabuto stepped out of a building along with large numbers of genin. Naruto held his arms over his head with a bored expression. "These exams were nothing. After training here for all that time, the answer was pretty obvious."

Hinata nodded. "I-Ibiki-san was far more intimidating."

Kabuto smiled. "He also had a better way with words. In the exams we had in Konoha, all but twenty-six teams were able to get through the first part of the exams. In all honesty, that is a considerably large number of teams to survive in relation to how many participated. As for Kumo, the ratio of thirty-seven teams making it through the first part considering how many participated is rather average."

Hinata blinked a few times. "You seem to know a lot Kabuto-san."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Of course. Didn't you forget that this is the eighth time I have participated in a Chunin Selection Exam. I was not lying at all when we first met. I simply kept additional truths concealed. I am well versed in how the Chunin Exams work in all of the hidden villages that host them. Just before I attended the exams there, Kumo underwent a revision in their exam setup. Under this new set up, the exam's first part focused on an individual's pride and willpower. This is why we were isolated and interrogated. They even used a specialized genjutsu for torture. A backup plan was made for those who managed to see through the genjutsu and break it. Anyone who cracked under the pressure was eliminated along with their team under the premise that a chain is only as strong as the weakest link."

This caught Hinata's attention. "I think I remember Arashi-shishō mentioning something like that. He said that they used to used a torture genjutsu as both punishment and to increase their shinobi's resistance to actual torture if they are captured. I thought he said that they stopped using it. That genjutsu didn't feel as intense as he described it."

"The genjutsu we experienced could very well be a toned down descendent to the genjutsu that you mentioned Hinata-san. If they used the original, it is likely that Kumo's first round elimination rate would match Konoha's if not surpass it. Considering that the most eliminations occur in the second round, it would mean less passing contenders overall."

Naruto turned back to Kabuto. "So you are saying that their second test is harder."

"Hai Naruto-kun. They specifically designed this test so that even if you experienced it once before, it won't be any easier to pass if you haven't improved your skills. The Kumo Chunin Selection Exams are also designed in a way that ensures that deaths are practically unheard of. There have been two of these revised exams so far and the only death ever was a Kiri shinobi. This happened in the third part though."

Hinata let out a sigh of relief. "So we won't have to hurt anyone."

"Kumo expects shinobi to already know how to do that. Make no mistake Hinata-san. If you let down your guard, you will~ be eliminated. If we were excluded, the number who'd make it through will likely be below the double-digits."

"Is the second part really that hard?"

A flash of light surprised all of them. When the dots in their eyes disappeared, their proctor for the exam was revealed. "Hello there kittens. I am Yugito Nii and will be your proctor for this part of the exams. Now shut up and let me get this over with so I get back to what I was doing."

Hinata noticed her look up with a spacey expression. "She must be thinking about Arashi-shishō."

Naruto waved at her. "Hey there Nii-nee."

She turned to Naruto with a dark smirk. "The only reason you are still standing right now is because Arashi-sama is playing jonin sensei for you."

Naruto gulped. "Women are scary."

"Now, let's just get this over with. I'm sure that all of you can see The Rainbow Ravine behind me." She pointed down the middle of a fairly wide ravine with tall cliffs on both sides. "The rules are very simple. All you have to do is make it out of the other side of that ravine. We don't care how you go about it as long as you don't attack the other participants. We have a lot of chunin and jonin watching from the top of those cliffs. Outside of that, the only rule is for you to come out in the same exact condition as you went in." She turned away before. "One last thing. The team under must stay within five feet of the right side at all times. You are~ being watched; begin!" Now I can get back to Arashi-sama. Sure~, it's supposed to be training, but if I can find a way to get rid of Kirābī, we'll be all~ alone." She disappeared.

Hinata let out a sigh. "I wouldn't be surprised if Arashi-shishō had her say that to make it more challenging."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "I agree. We will have to be at our best to make it through this." He noticed a few teams of genin running into the ravine. In the next second, all the ones behind them saw a massive explosion of orange."

Naruto laughed nervously. "I guess that's why Nii-nee, said we have to be in the same condition."

Kabuto nodded. "That ravine is riddled with paint traps. If you get so much as one speck on you, you are eliminated. This is problematic since we are trapped against a wall where we are most susceptible to the traps." The same explosion occurred as more genin ran through. "I forgot to mention that traps are set to trigger more than once."

Hinata let out a sigh. "Let's get started~." She looked around and noticed something. "Where's Naruto-kun?" Kabuto pointed towards the ravine. Her jaw dropped at seeing Naruto already at the ravine. "He didn't here a word you said, right."

Kabuto smirked. "Hai."

"He didn't notice the same trap trigger twice."

"I'd wager as much."

"We'll have to stop him won't we?"

"It could be too late for that."

Naruto smirked at the path before him. "If the only problem is those paint traps, then all I have to do is create a bunch of clones to trip them and that's the end of it. MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" At least three hundred clones of Naruto popped into existence. "YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT TO DO! As soon as the clones started filtering through the five feet of space, they were bombarded with paint. Some were dispelled right away by blunt kunai coated in a rainbow of colors. Some spots on the ground turned into paint pit traps that disappeared as soon as the clone pulled out.

Kabuto and Hinata ran right up to Naruto. "STOP~~~!"

Naruto turned around to them in surprise. "W-what is it Hinata-chan?"

"D-dispel them."

"Huh~~, what are you talking about Hinata-chan? I'm getting rid of all the traps."

"Dispel your clones right now Naruto-kun. You are only making things worse for us. The traps are set to trip multiple times. I doubt you can throw enough clones at them."

Naruto smirked. "We won't know if we don't try."

Just as he prepared his hand-seal, Kabuto grabbed his hands. "Try taking a look at our narrow path." Naruto stopped and did as he was told. A large drop of sweet formed on the back of his head. The entire path was covered in paint. Every color within the visible spectrum could be seen. "If we get a single speck of paint anywhere, we will be eliminated. Now we can't walk anywhere without stepping onto the paint."

Naruto willed his clones to disappear. He received some slight backlash from the memories from the clones, but it was small enough to ignore. "So what do we do now."

**The middle of the ravine:**

A group of three Iwa shinobi stumbled their way around the paint covered spots. "WHAT KIND OF RIDICULOUS TEST IS THIS? I THOUGHT THAT KONOHA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SOFT VILLAGE!" He managed to dodge another color trap with his teammates. "THAT'S ENOUGH OF THIS! EARTH STYLE: STONE BURST!" He slammed his hand on the ground and blew away the area in front of him.

The female in his team smiled. "Great job Iroda-kun."

Their third member noticed four pieces of rubble rolling suspiciously along the ground. He immediately jumped way. "Kakougan!"

"WATCH OUT!" The four rocks formed a square around them and unleashed a red chakra barrier. "I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner." He ran away as the barrier was filled with blue, making it look purple.

Near the end of the ravine, a group of Suna shinobi ran through the area with a wall of wind surrounding them. The one in front looked back at their female member. "It's a great thing you are so good at ninjutsu Nagigenki-chan. We're going to be the first to make it through this. Isn't that right Shiryoku?" He looked right next to himself at his dark haired teammate. They suddenly stopped, causing Nagigenki to run into them. "Crap, they colored some wires the same as the background. There still wet too."

The collision caused her to lose her focus. "What's …?" She yelled when her teammates pushed her back. Before she could reject, a swarm of paint balls slammed into her teammates. "CHIYOKU-KUN, KENJIRU-KUN!"

"FORGET US! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! WE HAVE ALREADY FAILED!"

She closed her eyes tight before continuing. "That's right. They lost their chance because my jutsu wasn't enough. I have to pass since they can't."

A group of Kiri shinobi ran strait down the middle of the ravine. "This is easier than we expected Ikari-san. What kind of coward comes up with a pathetic test like this." No sooner did he say that, they were surrounded by paint animated into the shaped of humans. "WATCH OUT!"

"Out of my way." Ikari hopped onto his teammate and used him to jump over the paint golems. "I don't need to risk my chance for their sakes. It's everyone for themselves."

A group of two Kumo teams ran through at speeds worthy of lightning style shinobi. "This is harder than it is dangerous."

"Walking through my home is more dangerous that this Genmei. Left then right." Paint kunai traps triggered in the directions he pointed out.

A girl on the other team smirked. "Don't get full of yourself Shinkei. That Neural Enhancement Jutsu is about all you can do."

"Don't let down your guard down Gatami-chan. You guys aren't as skilled at it as me." He noticed two shinobi covered in paint. He quickly noticed the wires that stopped them. "Watch out, there are painted wires in the way. Get through and we are home free." They jumped through the wires, only for Shinkei to notice a final trap in the last moment. On reflex, he grabbed the nearest person and jumped out of there. They slid across the ground via his back. "Are you okay Gatami-chan?"

"Hai, I'm just fine"

"Good. Lets get up and finish this." He looked towards the other four with a nervous smile. "Gomen, looks like it's over for you guys."

Genmei let out a sigh. "Don't worry about us. Go and become chunin for all of us. All of us have next time."

They nodded and finally left the ravine. When they got out, they noticed a sign pointing off to the left. The words on the sign said not clean. Both forward where they saw a single Suna kunoichi. "She must be the teammate of those two we saw earlier." He walked right up to her. "Hello there. I wonder how a cute girl like you got through here."

Gatami suddenly stomped on his foot, causing him to start hopping on one foot. "I apologize for the baka. He has a habit of talking to any girl he sees that way. It took me months to get him to leave me alone in the academy."

She chuckled a bit. "Arigato. My name is Nagigenki." They turned to the ravine and noticed a Kiri shinobi heading for them. "He looks a bit scary."

He glared at all of them. "These three look as soft as my sensei and my teammates. What are shinobi now-a-days are coming to." He noticed one more person coming from behind and using an earth jutsu to protect himself from the last trap. Ikari took noticed on his dark expression. "Looks like there's at least one I can take seriously."

Kakougan surveyed the group. "There is one for every village excluding Konoha."

When all of them grouped together, Shinkei stepped out. "It looks like there are going to be eight of us getting through."

Ikari glared at him. "Get your math right baka. There are five of us."

Gatami glared at him. "You're looking like the baka now~. Did you ever think about why those three Konoha shinobi were given that restriction condition. I'm actually surprised that they didn't arrive before us."

"Those three jokes are probably soaked in paint right now." As soon as he said that, his eyes widened at seeing someone coming in.

Naruto smirked as they made their way to the end of the track. They managed to stay within five feet of the cliff, but that didn't mean they had to stay on the ground. Even so, there was no shortage of traps. Just before they reached the end, they were faced by an entire wall of paint flying right at them. "MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" The clones linked together and formed a tight wall to protect the team. As the clones fell forward, the team used them as a stepping stone before jumping off before landing.

This only served to anger Ikari. "What kind of shinobi puts on that kind of show?"

Nagigenki's eyes widened. "I'm glad we stayed on the ground. The traps up there are even worse."

Kakougan focused on them. "They must be favorites."

When they arrived, Ikari walked up to them with an angry expression. "What makes you three so special!"

Gatami walked up to them. "Hello there Naruto-san, Hinata-san; do you two remember me?"

Naruto thought about it for a few seconds. "I can't say that I do."

This made her a little angry. Hinata however nodded. "Now I remember, you're Gatami-san. You are one of Yugito-nee-chan's students, right?"

Ikari's eyes widened. "WHAT IS~ THIS? HOW CAN I ACCEPT THIS WHEN BOTH OF YOU ARE CONNECTED TO THE PROCTOR?" He glared more directly at the team of three. "AND WHAT MAKES YOU THREE SO SPECIAL?"

Gatami glared right back at him. "I didn't have any advantage over you. I was just a bit better off than my teammates this time around." Kabuto and Kakougan noticed Shinkei sulking right next to a rock. "As for these three, they have a special condition surrounding them."

"And what condition is that?"

"That would be me." On reflex, Ikari turned around and struck out with his sword. He only managed to cut the person's clothes. The man held out his hands in a placatory way. "Now, now, no need to attack me. I just wanted to congratulate you guys for making it through the second part. It looks like seven people will be making it through."

All their eyes widened. "What do you mean Arashi-shishō? There are eight of us here."

"That may be true Hinata-chan, but think back to the original condition for this exam. In order to pass, you have to be as clean as the moment you began. Paint wasn't the only way to get dirty." Arashi pointed to Shinkei. With that, they noticed that his back was covered with dirt.

Gatami sweat a little. "Does this mean that he failed saving me from elimination."

Shinkei stood up with the same sulking aura. "Don't~ worry~ about~ me~. I'll~ be~ just~ fine~." He sulked over to the dirty area.

Arashi smiled. "Well~, however disappointing that was, I should explain what the third part will consist of. Simply put, all of you will be able to pick any of the jonin sensei of the genin who made it through and fight them in order to demonstrate your skills to the spectators." All their eyes widened, except for Kabuto's because of the unexpected setup.

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**I hope that this chapter has gotten you all psyched for the next chapter. I don't have many ideas for what to do for the time between the present and the exams. I have something good planed.**

**Next chapter: The Third Part.**


	61. The Third Part: Chapter 61

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. They had no trouble getting through the first part of the Kumo exam. On their way to the second part, Kabuto went into a description of what he knew about the exams. Soon after, they reached the ravine that the test would take place. Just before beginning, Yugito made sure to give the team a limitation. As they prepared to enter the Rainbow Ravine, genin from other teams were starting to make their way through. In the end of the testing, one genin from each other village managed to make it though along with Naruto, Hinata, and Kabuto. Arashi decided to show up and explain the test's third part.)

* * *

**2-28-10**

**The Third Part**

After moments of silence, Ikari decided to say something. "What kind of joke is this supposed to be?"

Arashi blinked. "It sounds like a very simple test to me. It's not like you actually have to win your fight. It also allows a more experienced shinobi to evaluate your skills personally. I think it's a great…"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" He huffed a few times. "What's a Konoha jonin doing being a proctor here!"

Arashi only smiled. "I thought it would be fun since my genin are participating."

"SO YOU ARE CHEATING!"

"What makes you think that?"

Ikari pointed at the team. "They are the only full team that made it through!"

Arashi smiled widely. "This guy is defiantly going to want to fight me. I'll play nice till then. They are better than you might think. I am sure that if there were five of you, you wouldn't stand a chance against one of them. Each one has been trained very well." Arashi blinked a few times before turning to Kabuto. "Who trained you to be as strong as you are."

Kabuto smirked. "I have had numerous teachers; my adoptive father, the academy sensei, and some others I rather not name."

"Have it your way Kabuto-kun." Arashi focused on the group of genin. "I only have one thing to say. Since Kumo is a bit far away from the other villages, you can only expect people from your village to be here if they are already here. Unfortunately, this place is known more for being a winter vacation spot rather than for summer. To make up for this, Kumo usually records the fights and sends them to anyone who wants to watch, including your Kage. Since there is no need to send invitations, the third part will take place in just two days. Though I doubt you'll want to, all of you are free to talk about your jonin sensei to the others. You are all in the same boat here."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "So you _want _me to warn them about how strong you are."

Arashi smirked. "Essentially … hai. I also think it would be a great way for you guys to be friends. As you should know, the exams are supposed to be a way to promote friendship between nations. This third part fosters respect by allowing all of you to see the real strength of other villages."

Ikari narrowed his eyes. "I've had enough of this. I'm leaving." He turned away and ran.

Arashi let out a sigh. "I either feel sorry for that kid's jonin sensei or want to hurt him. It depends on what the man is like." He turned his attention to the other six. "He's quite the spoiled sport, isn't he, though I don't have much else to say myself. I'll leave you guys to get back to the village on your own." With that, Arashi disappeared in a swirl of smoke.

Hinata sighed internally. "I wish Arashi-shishō would be more considerate."

Deciding to take the initiative, Gatami walked up to Hinata. "I was wondering Hinata-san … what is it like having Arashi-dono as your shishō?"

Hinata had to think about that for a few seconds. "I'll say that he's original. Sometimes when he has something new to teach me, he'll explain that I am learning and then toss out a training method that I would never have guessed. Other times, I manage to complete a training and only figure it all out what it was all for after he explains it to me or forces me to understand. He also loves playing pranks on me and goes further than any normal person would." Her eye started twitching at the memories. "I can't wait to get him back sometime."

Gatami back away a bit from Hinata's aura of irritation. "I-is Arashi-dono really that bad a person?"

Hinata relaxed. "No. He may go a bit far sometimes, but he really does care. When I was hurt one time, he blamed in on himself. He just started training himself harder instead of giving me a training load I couldn't handle. I really have mixed feelings about him."

Gatami chuckled nervously. "He sounds like a confusing guy."

As they talked, Naruto had nothing to do. He then noticed the other girl and walked up to her. "Hey, you're from Suna right?"

Nagigenki nodded with a surprised expression. "H-hai. I hope this isn't about what happened three years ago."

Naruto smiled at her. "Cool. I actually have a friend back in Suna and was wondering if you knew anything about him."

She relaxed at hearing Naruto's question. "Sure~ … what's his name?"

"It's Gaara." She froze in place and her eyes widened. This reaction surprised Naruto. "Hey, what's wrong! He's not dead, is he?"

She quickly broke out of her trance and shook her hands side to side. "O-of course n-not. K-Kazekage-sama is j-just fine."

Naruto's eyes widened this time. A second passed before he smiled and looked up. "So Gaara's become Kazekage huh? I guess he managed to reach his dream before I could." He focused back on Nagigenki and held out his fist. "Can you do me a favor. Tell Gaara that Naruto Uzumaki will be Hokage."

She nodded. "Hai."

As the two pairs talked, Kabuto walked over to Kakougan. They simply nodded at each other before walking away.

As this happened, Arashi made his way to where the other jonin were. Since they were all told if their teams managed to get through or not, only four other jonin were there. The jonin from Kumo was Yugito Nii. The one from Kiri was a rather thin man who looked like he was in his early twenties. He wore a vertical stripped sweater and cow print pants. He wore a vest with the headband plate in the middle. On his back was a massive double handled weapon in the general shape of a fish and wrapped entirely in white bandages. To top off his appearance, he had square glasses with discs over his ears. The disks had black half circles on the top and bottom with the rest being white.

The other two were more dressed in the same outfits their village's jonin usually dress in. The one from Iwa was large and muscular with his headband covering all of his head. There was a barely visible scar on his left cheek. He was spending his time talking to the Suna kunoichi. She had shoulder length dark red hair and a surprisingly dainty appearance. Even so, Arashi could see with his Keikigan that she knew exactly how to use her less than average chakra reserves. He guessed that she specialized in genjutsu. No sooner did he finish his quick evaluation, Yugito latched herself onto Arashi's arm. "I~ missed you~."

Arashi chuckled inwardly. "I'll bet that she didn't expect me to ditch the planed training to play proctor for when they finished. I so~ enjoy surprising people like that."

In the next second, the Iwa jonin walked up to them. Arashi quickly noticed the Suna kunoichi let out a sigh. "Okay, I don't get it. I~ talk to her and get the evil eye. You~ walk in the room and she's all over you."'

As Yugito glared at him, Arashi laughed. "Don't let the headband fool you. I have a strong connection to Kumo. All I need to tell you is that I am very well known here. Also, I can tell that you usually annoy women or make them feel uncomfortable."

The Jonin responded with his own laughter. "I like you. My name is Kyokugen Nimu."

Arashi smiled. "I am Arashi Ayama. This is Yugito Nii."

Kyokugen smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"You are a pretty interesting. You don't seem concerned with things that happened in the past."

He laughed into the air. "Like I'd let something like that bother me. A man's a man and a woman's a woman. A real man judges someone face to face."

Arashi chuckled. "It's been nice getting to know you. If you don't mind, I'd like to get to know the others.

"Gotcha. I'm going to watch and see how he does it."

After Kyokugen backed off, Arashi turned to Yugito. "You can get off my arm now."

She pouted but did as he asked. "You're mean~."

Arashi chuckled. "You know that I'd look weird talking to the others with you on my arm."

Her pout grew as he walked off to the Kiri jonin. "I'm going to keep an eye on that Suna woman."

Arashi gave his fellow jonin a wave and a smile. "Hello there. I met that student of yours, Ikari. He's a piece of work isn't he."

The jonin smiled in a way that didn't fit in with his shark-like teeth. "Gomen, I have failed as his sensei."

"Don't blame yourself. From what I can figure, he has been influenced by someone who believed strongly in more aggressive methods of being a shinobi. It may take a big shock to his system to change his mind. … I'd actually like to talk about that weapon on your back. It's pretty obvious that you are one of the seven swordsmen. Even without that, I can tell that you are an elite in your village."

He looked down shamefully. "I don't think that I am that special."

Arashi patted his back and laughed. "Kawaii … a jonin with chakra levels like yours is actually embarrassed about being complimented. You are almost a male version of my Hinata-chan. I can have some fun with this one. Hinata-chan is actually coming out of this embarrassment stage."

He looked at Yugito for half a second before turning back to Arashi. "Y-you seem to be good with w-women. Can you g-give me…"

"Some tips." He tried to glare at Arashi, but only got laughter as a response. It took him a few seconds to stop snickering. "I'm not sure if I can give you anything good. I doubt you can truly change your personality to match mine when facing a woman you like. Every individual has to find out what works for them. By the way, my name is Arashi Ayama. What's yours."

He blinked a bit at the change in subject. "I am Chojuro." He then narrowed his eyes. "Please don't change the subject."

Arashi waved his hands dismissively. "Hai, hai. Why don't you watch me to that kunoichi over there. The first step in getting a relationship is to at least be on friendly terms with her. That's all I am going to show you." Arashi broke his attention from Chojuro and turned to the final jonin. By the way she was looking directly at him, Arashi could tell that she was being a bit wary. He made sure to stop at twice arm's length. "It's nice to see such a beautiful desert flower up in these cold mountains. It makes you wonder why someone would chose to go to a village with climate so different from what you are used to. I'll bet that only Yuki would be worse for you."

She narrowed her eyes. "I'll tell you what I told him; I am seeing someone back home right now."

Arashi suddenly moved in close and whispered into her ear. "As am I, but don't tell Yugito-chan. She's still denying the fact that although I like her, I don't see her as a potential partner. I can tell that she's glaring daggers into you right now." Sure enough, when she looked she saw Yugito glaring right at her. The intensity only barely lowered when Arashi backed off. "Now … can we talk like civilized adults without jumping to conclusions. Let me start off by telling you that my name is Arashi Ayama."

She nodded in response. "Hai, my name is Kyoko Fuku." Without warning, Arashi suddenly froze in place. Kyoko tentatively reached out. "Are you okay Arashi-san?"

He lowered his head enough to cover his eyes in shadow. "Excuse me for a moment."

Arashi turned away and headed for the door. Without hesitation, Yugito walked up to him. "What did _she_ do?" With a quick glare, Arashi made it very clear that she should not pursue it. As he walked out the door, Yugito watched him leave with a dumbstruck look on her face. "I've never seen him glare like that."

Arashi made sure to find a secluded spot a good distance away. "I did not see that coming. She just had to have her name." He took a deep breath. "I'm going to disappear for a bit to clear my head." As he started moving, he wiped the corner of his eyes clean.

**The day of the exam:**

As she stood in the middle of the arena while tapping her foot continuously. "What is going on. I haven't seen Arashi-shishō since we finished the second part of the test. Usually he would pull something on me. I couldn't even relax since I was expecting something big." She turned her attention to the jonin acting as the judge. "He's still missing right now. It's unusual for him not to be here for this."

"We will will be going in apathetically order. First will be Ikari Angu. Please pick your jonin. The rest of you can go into the waiting section opposite of the jonin section."

Naruto pouted. "It's going to be forever~ until I get my chance."

Kabuto placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Do not let it concern you too much Naruto-kun. Your fight is still before mine. There is still the possibility that the other three have a name that comes after yours."

Naruto actually looked up hopefully. Gatami looked at him with a smirk. "Too~ bad … my full name is Gatami Karina."

Nagigenki adverted her eyes. "Mine is Nagigenki Burikko."

"Kakougan Tsuzuchi."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "So~ that means I'm seventh."

Hinata looked back and smiled. "Don't worry Naruto-kun. You can still watch us while you wait."

As they made their way up, Ikari was having a little fit. "ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT HE'S NOT HERE?"

"That is correct. He disappeared not too long ago. No one has been able to find him."

Ikari spit to the side. Before he could say anything, a kunai blocked the spit from touching the ground. In a swirl of flashy lightning, Arashi appeared. "I take it this guy wants to fight me. Well, far be it for me to deny him his wish." He focused on Ikari and put on a smile. "Do your best Ikari-kun."

Ikari glared at him a few seconds before looking at the other jonin. "Just begin already."

The jonin sighed before smirking. "This kid needs to learn some manners and Arashi-dono is just the man to teach them to him." A few seconds passed. "THIS MATCH WILL BE BETWEEN GENIN IKARI ANGU AGAINST THE ASTONDING ARASHI AYAMA! BEGIN!"

In that instant, Ikari started up some hand-seals. Arashi simply watched. "It looks like he doesn't plan on letting this last long."

He stopped and pulled on his chakra. "WATER STYLE: GIANT VORTEX JUTSU!" Water was pulled from the ground and launched as a wall of water towards Arashi.

Arashi smirked. "Time to pull out a oldie. Lightning Style: Aqueous Conduction." As soon as the water hit him, his jutsu took effect. "This jutsu used the vibration attribute to enhance the restriction attribute. This creates a shell of water that buffers me from the rest of the attack. It takes almost no chakra too."

As soon as he finished pouring out his jutsu, his arms dropped. "That was all I had. I hope it killed him." His eyes widened as his arms were locked behind him. "When did he~?" He looked up and saw the one from before just standing there. "A clone?"

The clone leaned into his ear. "You made a number of mistakes that ensure that you stay a genin. For starters, you put all your eggs in one basket. Did you honestly think I would be defeated with such a weak jutsu. Second, that jutsu completely blinded you to me. I could easily do anything during that period you couldn't see me, like create a clone. There was also the second part of the exam."

His eyes widened. "What … what about it?"

"Those jonin weren't there just so you don't break the rules. There were watching your every move. I know about how you literally used your teammates as stepping stones."

"SO WHAT?"

"What happens to your village if all it's shinobi are dying from that behavior. Your job as a potential chunin captain is above all else to get your team back alive." Before Ikari could protest, Arashi squeezed his arm. "If your teams keep dying, then you won't be trusted as a leader. Soon, the deaths will pile up until your village becomes weaker for it."

Since he was focused on the Arashi behind him, Ikari didn't notice that the original was right in front. "That way of thinking you have is archaic and foolish. If you don't grow up, you'll be left behind." With that, Arashi landed one sharp blow on Ikari's stomach. "Let's hope he learned."

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**Just to let some of you not keeping up with the manga that Chojuro is not an OC. As for the others except Yugito, they are my idea.**

**Next Chapter: The Show Before the Show.**


	62. Hinata's Display: Chapter 62

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. After Arashi finished explaining the exams; he left the genin to talk among themselves. Ikari left as Hinata talked to Gatami about Yugito and Naruto talked to Nagigenki about Gaara. As this happened, Arashi went to talk to the other jonin. The first one to greet him was of course Yugito. Next was Kyokugen who is jonin for Kakougan. He then met with Chojuro who was one of the seven swordsmen. He then went to meet with the Suna jonin, who surprised him greatly after giving him her name. The shock was enough for him to disappear. When it came time for the exams, he still hasn't shown up. He finally did when Ikari was just about to choose a different jonin. Ikari tried to take Arashi out in one attack, but that only enticed Arashi to lecture Ikari on his foolish behavior before knocking him out and ending the fight quickly.)

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**For those following, I changed the planned title. I'm sure a lot of you will enjoy this chapter. Strangely enough, I always feel as if reviews fall short on some of my better chapters.**

**3-14-10**

**Hinata's Display**

Ikari fell to the ground with quickly fading consciousness. Arashi grabbed the back of his clothes just before he hit the ground. He let him fall the rest of the way in the next moment. After that, he quickly went to the jonin's observation area. Unexpectedly, Yugito kept her distance from him. It was Kyoko what walked up to him. "Are you okay Arashi-san. I hope I didn't say anything wrong."

Arashi smiled gently. "Don't worry. You just happened to have the name of the first woman I loved. It just came to a shock to me. I had to find something to do to occupy myself."

After hearing this, Yugito walked up to him. "I can smell it on you Arashi-sama. You actually tried to train yourself to exhaustion. Have you even slept since you disappeared?"

Arashi laughed nervously. With that Kyokugen joined them. "That's impossible. I like training more than the next guy, but even I couldn't train like that."

Yugito crossed her arms. "Don't try to compare Arashi-sama with yourself. I doubt you could handle his training for more than a few minutes."

"Now~, now Yugito-chan; I wouldn't go that far. To be exact this guy could last around seventy-four minutes."

Chojuro joined the conversation. "Are you really that strong Arashi-san?"

"I rather not talk about it right now." He looked at Yugito. "Throw a kunai by my cheek when I am called to fight again." Arashi sat down at a corner with his eyes closed.

Kyoko turned to Yugito. "Why did he ask you to do that?"

"Arashi-sama is going to use a jutsu to put himself to sleep for the moment. The best way to wake him up is to make him to fell threatened." She walked over to look out to the arena. "We should watch this so we know whose next." The conscious jonin nodded and joined her.

The proctor looked up to where the genin were. "Will Nagigenki Burikko please come down?"

Moments later, she walked out with a nervous expression. "I was originally planning on choosing Arashi-san since he was so nice, but he was completely different down here. I don't want to fight my own sensei since it'll look like I'm taking it safe. Hinata-san told me Yugito-san was supposed to be good with fire jutsu, and the other two look scary."

"Have you made your choice Nagigenki?"

"... I'm not sure."

"If you can't decide, one will be decided at random."

She looked up in surprise. "I-I think that will work." He nodded and pulled out a box from nowhere before holding it out to her. "C-can you do it?"

"Hai." He reached into the box and pulled a piece of paper out. "THE JONIN WILL BE ARASHI AYAMA!" Her eyes widened.

Yugito didn't hesitate to toss the kunai at Arashi's face. He caught it instantly between his fingers before yawning loudly. "It thought I asked you to throw it by my face."

Yugito smirked. "I knew you would catch it Arashi-sama."

"Judging by how I don't feel any better, I'm in the second fight too." He stood up and dived through the observation window without hesitation as cheers erupted through the arena. He looked at his foe for the round. "I'm surprised that you'd pick me right after what I did to Ikari-kun. Don't expect me to do that again unless you make a similar mistake to the one he made. Fight well and fight smart."

Nagigenki relaxed and nodded. "BEGIN!"

She raced through some hand-seals. "Wind Style: Cyclone Dome." Her chakra wiped up the wind around her. She quickly pulled out some shuriken and tossed them in an arc.

"She uses the wind from her barrier to increase the speed of the shuriken. Her creativity is lacking a bit." He suddenly disappeared into the ground.

She reacted quickly and jumped into the air just before his hand shot out of the ground. "He's so fast. I didn't even see his hand-seals." She narrowed her eyes at landing. "I need to focus on him."

She suddenly felt tugging on her left arm. "It's good to focus, but not so much that you forget your surroundings." He pulled sharply so that she was never more than half a foot up till nearly reaching the wall.

She stood up and gripped her shoulder as the wind around her faded. "My jutsu didn't even slow him down. I also have two to deal with now. I have to attack. Wind Style: Compact Gale." She swung her arm and unleashed a quick burst of wind in an arc.

One Arashi disappeared while the other moved in, quickly reaching her. "You like attacking in an arc. This makes you weak in close range." She performed the jutsu with an uppercut motion. "That is still an arc. Watch this." He brought his fist into view before quickly jabbing her.

Nagigenki stumbled back before hopping away. "He didn't waste any time with that punch." Her eyes widened. "That's it." She moved in and prepared the same jutsu, quickly jabbing forward.

Arashi blocked with both arms and was blasted back. "She learns quickly. Too bad I can't remain focused enough to control my strength for much longer." He disappeared into smoke.

Nagigenki's eyes widened. "How'd he?" Another popped out of the ground and swung his arm just under her face. She backed away again and felt her chin. "It's okay … he only grazed me." She was surprised when the world was suddenly turned to its side. She quickly realized it was her that fell down. "What happened?" She tried to stand, but stumbled to her back.

Arashi approached and held her down with a finger against her forehead. "You learned quickly. With that jutsu, quick compact attacks are best. With those arcs, you give time to predict where the attack will hit." He leaned in closer. "One more thing. The attribute that makes up wind chakra is distortion. Keep that in mind the next time you use a wind style jutsu." Arashi turned to the proctor. "I have seen enough of her skills. I would like to call it now."

The proctor nodded. "THAT CONCLUDES THE SECOND MATCH!"

Nagigenki tried to stand, but Arashi's one finger was doing a better job of holding her down than she expected it would. "Gomen Nagi-chan, but it won't be safe for you if this were to continue for much longer. The effects of me rattling your brain should have mostly worn off by now." Arashi stood up and headed off to the door leading up to where the other jonin were.

She looked at him with a confused expression. "Maybe~ I should ask Hinata-san about that." She headed for her side while holding back a dejected expression.

Kyoko clenched her fists as she headed for the stairs. Chojuro tilted his head in curiosity. "Where are you going Kyoko-san?"

Her anger was obvious in her voice. "I'm giving that Arashi a piece of my mind. He was way to rough and he didn't even give my student a chance to show what else she could do. Don't try to stop me." She continued down the stairs, with Yugito secretly following. She stopped her angry stomping as she saw Arashi collapsed on the stairs. "What… happened?"

"It's worse than I thought." Kyoko turned to the source of the voice. "If he is this exhausted, then I understand why he didn't go on longer. It is really only his mind that is affected. His muscles are completely inexhaustible. The only reason he can't use his full strength is because he can't focus enough to control his strength properly."

Kyoko's eyes widened. "Does that mean~."

"Hai; if he kept going, he would have likely caused some permanent damage or even killed her by accident. She's lucky to get away with just a few bruises." Kyoko looked at him with a gentler expression as Yugito picked him up by one arm. "Let's carry him back up." She nodded and took the other arm. On the way up, she noticed Yugito rubbing her cheek against Arashi and chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"… Gomen, it's just the way you do that. … You look like a cat."

Yugito averted her eyes. "Oh~ the irony." They reached the top in time to see Hinata take center stage.

The Hyuga walked up to the proctor. "I wonder what's up with Arashi-shishō. I would like to find out by fighting him, but I already picked someone else."

"Have you decided on the jonin you will fight?"

Hinata nodded. "I would like to fight Yugito-nee-chan."

The proctor nodded. "THE FIGHT WILL BE BETWEEN HINATA HYUGA AND YUGITO NII!"

Half a second later, she appeared in a swirl of blue flames. A number of male whistles suddenly came out. "IT LOOKS LIKE SOME REAL HOT ONES ARE FIGHTING!"

"IT'S GOING TO BE A REAL CAT FIGHT HERE!"

Yugito's eyes began twitching. "That is the second time in five minutes." She focused on Hinata, who was blushing from the comments. "Don't mind them Hinata-chan. Some pigs never learn."

Hinata nodded and relaxed into her Hyuga fighting stance. Yugito also prepared her stance. The proctor looked between them before giving his signal. "BEGIN!"

This time it was the jonin that started things off. "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu." A large stream of blue flames shot forth and expanded into a large orb. Hinata had to quickly jump out of the way, but Yugito was already heading for her. Despite being nearly parallel with the ground, Hinata used just the tip of her foot to rotate behind Yugito. The blond back flipped over Hinata's head. Hinata ducked under her extended kick. As she turned around, Hinata leaned under a wide kick. As Yugito reversed direction with a sweeping kick, Hinata somehow used her right foot to hop vertically with her horizontal body spinning rapidly. Yugito spun to her feet and unleashed a diagonal axe kick. She only hit hair as Hinata performed her own back flip. Yugito spun to face Hinata while dodging a palm strike. They froze for the moment and stared each other down. "Those where some complex movements Hinata-chan pulled. I'll bet Arashi-sama put her through the crowd running training. In order to not be seen, you have to position your body in impossible angles while being able to move in an instant's notice. It's perfect for mastering your center of gravity."

They inched closer despite the already short distance between them while focusing their minds and bodies. "Seikuken!"

The exchange of blows that followed was a true sight to see. Their arms practically disappeared as their bodies quickly moved back and forth dodging the rapid blows. It was as if pure physical energy was flying off them. "This is exactly like my first days of training under Arashi-shishō. He created a clone and showed this exact same thing." Invisible to all but the most experienced, Hinata's aura changed as she allowed one punch to slide against her arm. "Gungnir."

Yugito's eyes widened as she recognized the name. Rather than dodging, she put up her guard. This proved futile as Hinata's hand slipped by her arms. Before Yugito managed to back away, the fastest shinobi managed to count up to eighteen blows. Yugito nearly fell to her knees. "That way of attacking my chakra system is dangerous. She even puts real weight into her attacks, causing both internal and external damage."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "I closed her chakra points, but I know they won't stay closed long."

This proved true as Yugito prepared some hand-seals. "Fire Style: Grand Fire Ball Jutsu."

"Earth Style: Stone Gauntlet." She pushed her hands into the ground. "I can use this jutsu for more than my Infinite Palm."

Yugito's eyes widened as she saw her own flames spiraling towards her. She dodged out of the way as the flames dispersed to reveal Hinata. The stone gauntlet took the form of claws that increased the length of her fingers by half while the rest had countless groves all the way to her wrist. Yugito's keen eyes easily caught onto these details. "Some may think those groves are just for looks, but they serve a purpose. They greatly increase surface area, which is essential for the main attribute of earth style ninjutsu. The claws even help channel the chakra in most ninjutsu away from her skin." Yugito looked into Hinata's eyes, which looked fiercer than usual. This surprised Yugito. "That's … imitation. She is perfectly replicating someone else's rhythm, personality, fighting style, and possibly even jutsu. I~ haven't even mastered that technique."

Naruto was equally surprised as he watched Hinata charge at Yugito with claws at the ready. "I've seen that before. Why is Hinata-chan fighting like that?" His eyes widened as something came to mind from months ago. "I remember now. Arashi once did this thing where he said he was copying his old shishō. Hinata's doing the exact same thing … with Kiba."

"TUNNELING FANG!" Hinata leapt forward and went into a rapid spin. Yugito dodged, causing Hinata to go straight through the ground. Yugito was forced to jump away as the massive drill that was Hinata popped up right under her. Hinata dived right for her again. Yugito could feel her moving constantly through the ground. She popped out again and followed Yugito back into the ground. After a few repetitions of this, Hinata revealed herself some distance away. The stone claws fell off her hands.

Yugito looked directly into Hinata's eyes. "She's changed again. Her eyes are analytical and calculating."

Hinata prepared her hand-seals. "Earth Style: Stone Swarm." She dropped to her knees and slammed her hands onto the ground. Right after, tiny rocks rose from the ground with some being able to fly.

Naruto watched as the swarm headed for Yugito and prepared to flank her. "That's exactly like Shino."

Yugito struggled to avoid the jutsu. The flying insects were good at directly attacking her and proved even sturdier than the crawling ones. "Controlling all these must be difficult." She looked at the motionless Hinata. "I need to attack her. … But first I have to clear the way." She ran through her hand-seals. "FIRE STYLE: TWIN TAILS!" She spewed out twin streams of blue flames in a double helix. These flames separated to push the insects back while forcing Hinata to dodge. Yugito took her chance and ran full speed ahead. She then noticed Hinata watching her carefully and stopped. This was too late as Hinata sprung her trap with an upward motion of her arm. "Crap." This was her thought as countless stone insects sprang out of one of the holes Hinata created earlier.

"I knew from the start you would try to bring this close. I planned this outcome from the beginning and filled the connected tunnels with my swarm. But … that's not all." The ground under Yugito collapsed. "Since the insects were once part of the tunnel, I could easily use them to weaken the ground under your feet. As Shino enjoys saying, a trump card is good, but two are better."

Yugito struggled to stand as the mass of stone weighed down on her. "These things are stealing away my chakra. … Fine, if they want it … they can have it." From the outside, everyone saw an explosion of chakra followed by Yugito jumping out. "NOW YOU'VE MADE ME GET SERIOUS!"

Her eyes widened when she noticed that Hinata was right under her nose. "Gomen, but I won't give you that chance."

Naruto noticed her stance. "That's Neji. I can still feel how badly that attack hurt."

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms." Hinata began striking Yugito with a flurry of blows. "Two-palms-four-palms-eight-palms-sixteen-palms-thirty-two-palms-sixty-four-_palms!_"

As Yugito stumbled back on shaky feet, Hinata stood tall and proud. Without warning Yugito started laughing and looked Hinata directly in the eyes. "I know Raikage-sama will be mad at me, but you are worth it Hinata-chan. I'll regret it if I don't give this my all." Her eye color changed so one eye was green and the other yellow. Chakra surrounded her in the form of visible blue flames. The flames grew greatly around her before eventually taking shape of a massive cat with two tales. The large beast fixed its gaze on Hinata before releasing something between a screech and a howl.

Naruto looked down at this in frustration. "What is Nii-nee thinking? I know she can control herself better than I can, but that's still crazy. She could hurt Hinata-chan like that."

The Raikage was also frustrated. "It's surprising that Yugito let herself get pushed this far." He stood up. "ACTIVATE THE SEALS!" He then took his seat. "It's good that such a thing as this was anticipated ahead of time. The arena is riddled with special seals that set off a barrier between the spectators and the fighters. This should prevent collateral damage."

Hinata back away a bit from the menacing figure. "This must be the form Yugito-nee-chan takes when she's using the power of the demon sealed within. I can't believe she's using it here." She stopped and stood her ground. "I know that Yugito-nee-chan doesn't act rashly. She must really think I can handle this. I won't disappoint her." Hinata took her stance, and readied herself to continue the fight.

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**Just when the fight was getting interesting, I pull this off. I am just as bad as any other writer when it comes to cliffhangers, if not worse. Don't expect to be too happy with the cliffhanger net chapter either.**

**Next Chapter: The Main Event.**


	63. The Main Event: Chapter 63

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. After Ikari was taken away, Arashi went up to where the jonin were. He wasted no time telling them about his exhaustion and taking a nap. This didn't last long as he was up for the next fight too. He fought Nagigenki for a bit longer and helped her out with the way she normally attacked. After he called the match on his own, Nagigenki's sensei went to talk to him. She didn't get the chance since he was passed out on the stairs. The next fight was Hinata against Yugito. This fight proved completely different as Hinata was able to fight Yugito evenly. Hinata was able to push her even farther when she began imitating her teammates and then her cousin. It was far enough for Yugito to decide to use the power of the demon inside her.)

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**3-28-10**

**The Main Event**

Hinata dodged as Yugito tore at the ground she was just standing on. After just an instant, Hinata realized that her knees were shaking just a bit. "This is completely different from before. Yugito-nee-chan outclasses me in power and size. My speed hardly makes a difference. She has me completely overwhelmed." Her eyes widened. "That's it. This isn't the only time this has happened to me." Hinata stood her ground and locked eyes with Yugito's chakra shell. "I won't be interrupted this time." Hinata willed her heart rate to slow and her mind to relax. Her emotions all but disappeared from her. "It's this sensation again. Every movement she makes feels like my own, as if we are connected. I won't make the same mistake as last time."

Everyone watched as Yugito lunged at Hinata with her left claws outstretched. The Hyuga disappeared just before the attack landed. A quick searched found Hinata standing mere inches from Yugito's side, still maintaining eye contact. Hinata leaned back as a tail sailed right by her face. She ducked as it whipped over her head. A slight twisting of the body avoided being pierced by the other tail. Hinata bent backwards just in time to avoid being hit by both as they crossed paths. All this was done while maintaining eye contact when possible.

Yugito gave up on using her tails and swung around with her right claw. Hinata easily used her flexibility to bend under the attack. The two fighters motionlessly stared the other down as a ball of flames collected at Yugito's mouth. The attack's explosion forced everyone to cover their eyes for an instant. When they looked again, Hinata was looking up at Yugito's eyes while standing right by her face.

High in his position, the Raikage finally realized what was happening. "Unbelievable. To think that Hinata-san could have mastered that technique. Our shinobi have attempted it for years with no success. This is a technique available only to Sei type fighters … Streaming Seikuken." He watched as Hinata continued to dodge Yugito's attacks within a hair's width. "This is a perfect stalemate." He looked to his attendant and nodded. The person returned the nod in understanding.

As Yugito lunged for Hinata once more, a sudden lightning jutsu filled the arena with light and sound. When it cleared, both fighters were standing back to back, looking at the one responsible. "IN LIGHT OF THIS MATCH'S PROGRESSION, IT HAS BEEN DECIDED THAT IT WILL END WITH NO WINNER!"

Yugito turned from the proctor and to the Raikage. The way he looked at her was enough to get the message through. The demonic chakra around her faded in seconds. Hinata also relaxed and allowed her emotions to return to her face. The two kunoichi faced each other and closed the distance between them. As they reached out to shake hands, cheers erupted out in the crowd. "THAT WAS AMAZING~!"

"THERE'S NO WAY THAT GIRL'S A GENIN!"

"SHE'S MORE LIKE A JONIN!"

"YOU'D _HAVE_ TO BE A JONIN TO FIGHT LIKE THAT!"

"WHO CARES?"

The two broke off their handshake and made their way back up to where their peers. As Hinata walked up the stairs, she decided to back up to wall and sit down. She placed her hand over her chest. "My heart's beating like crazy. It would have been over if I got hit even once. I didn't have any room for error either." She took a deep breath and continued up the stairs. When she reached the other genin, most of them were looking at her with wide eyes; even Naruto and Kakougan. The only one unsurprised was Kabuto. Hinata blushed from all the attention.

Gatami was the first to step up. "That was amazing! I've _never _seen Yugito-sensei have to use the Nibi's chakra. She still~ couldn't touch you. I never thought anyone could be that brave. You should have been chunin years ago."

Hinata laughed nervously. "Actually, I was eliminated before the third part during my first exams."

"That's good for a first time." Everyone turned to Kakougan in surprise at his sudden interjection.

Kabuto chuckled. "She also became a genin only a few months before those exams were held. The same goes for Naruto-kun."

The others looked at him in surprise. "WILL GATAMI KARINA PLEASE COME DOWN?"

They all turned their attention back onto the proctor. Kabuto turned to Gatami and smiled. "I believe it's your turn."

She nodded and headed for the stairs. "What was with that condescending tone?" She let out a sigh. "I can understand why though. After the show Hinata-san put on, it will be hard for me to impress the judges. I'll have to think of something quickly."

Up with the other jonin, Yugito leaned into the observation window. Kyoko approached first. "Can you tell us what happened down there?"

"With me or with Hinata-chan?"

"Hinata-san."

"I'm sure you understand by now how strong Arashi-sama is. Even though he has three genin right now, this is just a technicality to enter the exams. The only one Arashi-sama has spent considerable time training is Hinata-chan. She demonstrated two of his more advance techniques out there. The first was imitation. With this, she copy's not only someone else's personality, but every aspect of the way they act and fight. It is perfect for throwing someone off balance because it is like you suddenly switched out for another fighter. The other was an even more frightening technique: Streaming Seikuken. I only know what was written about it the first time Arashi-sama was in Kumo. It works by shutting away all your emotions, leaving you open to the emotions of others. This way, you can literally feel~ everything your opponent is about to do. That's why I couldn't touch her. It was a complete stalemate."

Chojuro looked at Hinata standing at the other side. "So Hinata-san is even with you."

Yugito narrowed her eyes in thought. "I'm not so sure about that. I don't know what, but I get the feeling that she had one last trick up her sleeve; one that could have ended it for me."

"THE MATCH WILL BE GATAMI KARINA VS. KYOKUGEN NIMU!"

The Iwa jonin smiled widely. "Looks like it's my turn. I hope she isn't boring."

"No need to worry about that meathead. My student is a little impatient but backs it up by being a quick thinker. She'll have you in a trap before you know it."

Kyokugen only laughed boisterously. "Thanks for the warning Neko-chan."

Yugito glared at him as he walked down the stairs. "He better watch out. Demons like to play pranks." She smirked.

Moments later, the proctor made his signal. "BEGIN!"

Gatami pulled out a palm sized ball and threw it between herself and Kyokugen. It exploded in a massive flash of light the moment it hit the ground. Before the light faded, everyone heard an explosion. When it did fade, they saw the spot Kyokugen was at damaged by the blast and the jonin standing closer to Gatami with a big smile on his face. "Nice try girly."

"Lightning Style: Static Vibration!" She placed her hands on the ground. After just an instant of shaking, the ground under Kyokugen gave way.

Yugito smirked at this. "I did~ warn him, but he still walked right into it. I wonder if anyone else noticed."

Kyokugen prepared to get up, but noticed that he was surrounded by kunai connected by a matrix of wires that held him down. "Lightning Style: Ring of Lightning!" Kyokugen yelled out as her jutsu connected with the kunai and started to flow through the wires. The moment he burst into dust, Gatami jumped out the way.

This was just in time to avoid being grabbed by the real Kyokugen. They faced each other down for an instant. "You've got some real good reflexes there. Let's see how you handle this." He started up some hand-seals. "EARTH STYLE: STONE CANNON!" He stomped on the ground, causing a large rock to pop out. He slammed it with his palm, firing it at high speed. Gatami barely had time to dodge it. Kyokugen continuously stomped the ground and fired off stones. "YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN GIRLY!"

Desperate not to get hit, Gatami ran into one of the tunnels created in the previous fight. Kyokugen only smirked at this. "That's not too bright. Earth is my specialty." He placed his hand on the ground and spread his senses into the earth. It didn't take long for him to notice the sound of footsteps. "EARTH STYLE: DEPRESSION!" Part of the tunnel a short distance away from the one Gatami was at collapsed. Kyokugen walked up to the collapsed section and jumped into it. He fixed his eyes. "Sorry I had to end it so quick girly, but you made a big mistake there."

His eyes widened when the hairs on the back of his head stood up. He turned around towards the still intact section of tunnel between the depressions made by him and Gatami. What he saw was the young Kunoichi not even a second from hitting him point blank with a lightning jutsu. On reflex, he swung around and punched Gatami full force with a right hook. The force behind the blow sent her flying out of the hole and all the way to the wall. She hit the wall and fell the short distance to the ground. Kyokugen's face paled as he realized what he did.

In a matter of seconds, a medic was checking on Gatami. To his surprise, she started coughing. Her expression looked delirious as she opened her eyes. "What~ hit~ me?"

The medic lifted her by the shoulder. "Can you stand?"

She pushed off the ground and onto her feet. With that action, cheers erupted through the crowd once again. Gatami looked up and waved to them. "I'll be fine on my own. I'm just a little winded." He nodded and left her. Kyokugen quickly ran up to her with an apologetic expression. "Don't worry about it. I don't need your apologies." She turned to the genin stairs and walked forward, leaving the jonin dumbstruck.

Moments later, Kyokugen reached the other jonin. Yugito smirked widely. "So, do you know how my student got behind you?" He shook his head. "I figured as much. The truth is she was in there from the beginning of the match." Their eyes widened. "Let me explain. The instant everyone was blinded by the light, Gatami-chan threw her explosive kunai just behind you so you would move over the tunnel she jumped into. The explosion covered the sound of her actions. She also left behind a clone to trick you. When she broke the ground under you, it was from below. The kunai with wires was just a simple genjutsu to cover the set of needles and wires she set up from within the tunnel. When you broke out, you were attacking a clone without even realizing it. The sound you heard after the clone went underground was Gatami using lightning chakra's vibration attribute to recreate the sound of footsteps. That takes us to the end of the match."

Kyokugen slouched down and slumped away. Chojuro watched him sit down next to the sleeping Arashi before turning to Yugito. "Will he be alright?"

"Even the biggest meathead of a jonin would be depressed after being outsmarted by a genin.

Both Chojuro and Kyoko laughed a bit. "True."

"WILL KAKOUGAN TSUZUCHI PLEASE COME DOWN?" The Iwa genin wasted no time in climbing down the stairs. A short moment passed after he met with the proctor. "THE MATCH WILL BE KAKOUGAN TSUZUCHI VS. CHOJURO!"

Chojuro let out a sigh. "It's almost like my own chunin exams all over again."

Just as Chojuro walked down the stairs, Kyokugen ran up to the window. "ALL RIGHT~! TIME TO SHOW THEM WHAT YOU CAN DO~!"

A sweat-drop formed on the back of Yugito's head. "I'm not sure anymore if meathead is the right description for this guy."

"BEGIN!"

Kakougan quickly started up his hand-seals. "Earth Style: Terraform." The earth in the entire arena started changing. All the tunnels collapsed and changed shape. Any flat section was changed into rocky terrain."

Kyokugen smiled widely. "That's my genin. That looks a lot like our training grounds."

Chojuro watched Kakougan carefully. "I can't let my guard down just because he's a genin."

They focused on the other's eyes for quite a few seconds. Finally, Kakougan made the first move. He charged, using the terrain to easily zigzag back and forth. He stopped at a larger rock and slammed his hands on the ground. "Earth Style: Stone Dragon."

Chojuro quickly dodged the serpentine dragon the popped out from where he was standing. He watched as the dragon coiled in preparation of another attack. "How does he have the chakra for this?" He reached for the massive sword on his back. "Hiramekarei Release!" The bandages exploded out and the sword was surrounded by a mass of chakra in the shape of a hammer. This hammer easily smashed the dragon to chunks. These chunks flew in all directions before suddenly stopping.

Kyokugen smiled widely from his vantage point. "That's the Tsuzuchi kekei genkai at work."

Both Kunoichi looked at him. Kyoko decided to ask him. "What kekkei genkai."

The Iwa jonin smirked. "That boy's kekkei genkai isn't like all those other fancy ones that give you some weird ability, two chakra types, or special eyes. Everyone in his clan just has an extremely high affinity for earth style. Most don't even need a tenth of the chakra needed to perform earth jutsu. Their chakra also sticks around in rocks for a long time. It's easy to control large rocks from there just by waving his hand."

Yugito narrowed her eyes. "It is true that the stronger your affinity for a certain chakra type is, the easier you can perform those jutsu. If this trait becomes focused on a certain family to such an extent, I can understand why they'd call it a kekkei genkai. Also, as they continue fighting the ground becomes more saturated with their chakra, making it even easier to perform jutsu. If they combined it with the absorption abilities of earth chakra, they could fight indefinitely."

With a downward motion of his hands, all of the rocks from the dragon crashed down on Chojuro. The jonin quickly formed a sphere of water around his self to keep the rocks from hitting him full force. His sweating would have shown if he wasn't surrounded by water. "This is a really bad match up for me. All his jutsu work perfectly against mine." He let the water fall and drove his sword into the ground. "I can't rely on Hiramekarei here." He pulled out a kunai. "I also have to make sure to hold back enough so it doesn't end too quickly."

The instant Chojuro ran forward, Kakougan let loose another jutsu. "Earth Style: Golem Swarm Jutsu." Multiple stone humanoids rose out of the ground and surrounded Chojuro. He reacted quickly by cutting them apart. They quickly began to reform and surround him. As they attacked, Kakougan prepared a string of kunai connected by wire. Attached to these was an explosive tag for each kunai. In a show of dexterity, he managed to whip the kunai and wrap them around a golem. It then jumped for the jonin.

Chojuro looked at the golem the instant before it exploded. Kakougan watched the area closely as it filled with smoke from the explosion. As the smoke cleared, he started to slowly walk forward. At hearing a strange sound, he looked to the ground. This proved too late as large streams of water rose out of the ground and surrounded him. The water quickly took the form of Chojuro holding back one of Kakougan's arms with one hand and holding a kunai to his neck with the other. Kakougan looked at him a bit before letting out a sigh. "THAT CONCLUDES THE FIFTH MATCH!" Chojuro broke off his hold. One minute after they left the arena, the proctor took in another breath. "WILL NARUTO UZUMAKI PLEASE COME DOWN?"

Naruto developed a wide smile. He looked at Hinata for an instant and quickly became serious. "Hinata-chan was amazing out there against Nii-nee. I really have to impress her as much as she impressed me." Naruto walked down the stairs and crossed his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Naruto turned to the one clone created. "You know what to do." The clone stayed behind as Naruto continued down the stairs. The blond walked right up to the proctor. "Arashi."

* * *

**The chapter is called The Main Event, but that only describes the end of the chapter that tells what the main event will be. I'm sure that a lot of you are excited about how I will write this epic battle.**

**Next Chapter: Shadow of Power.**


	64. Shadow of Power: Chapter 64

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. To deal with Yugito's demonic power, Hinata put the Streaming Seikuken to use. The fight was called off due to the fact that it was a complete stalemate. The next fight was Gatami against Kyokugen. She started the match off with a flash bang and an explosive tag. The tunnels underground were used against the Iwa jonin a number of times by Gatami. By the end, it was revealed she was underground the entire fight. Kakougan was next against Chojuro. Kakougan started by changing the terrain. The genin's plan worked by using his kekkei genkai to easily control the rocks and attack in single moment. Chojuro eventually used a liquefying jutsu to get behind Kakougan and end the fight. After this, Naruto made his way down the stairs, creating a clone along the way. When he reached the proctor, he asked for Arashi to be his opponent.)

* * *

**4-11-10**

**Shadow of Power.**

The proctor looked at Naruto seriously. "Are you sure?"

Naruto smiled widely. "Believe it."

He nodded. "THE MATCH WILL BE NARUTO UZUMAKI VS. ARASHI AYAMA!"

Yugito let out a sigh and threw a kunai at Arashi. Like the last time, he caught it between his fingers. He stood up and let out a loud yawn before looking at Yugito. He smiled at the small bruise on her cheek. "You fought Hinata-chan, didn't you?"

"Hai." She looked at the genin section. "You've taught her some amazing techniques. She would have won if I didn't go all out."

"Does that mean what I think it does?"

"Hai."

Arashi laughed loudly. "That's my girl~. I'd like to gush over her, but I have a fight to get to." Arashi leapt right out of the window. When he landed, he smiled at his third opponent. "It figures that you would want to fight me Naruto-kun." He looked around a bit. "The terrain has had a few revisions. There is chakra residue in the earth. It looks just like Kakougan-kun's chakra. If I'm not mistaken, this is just like a clan I read about." He turned his focus back to Naruto.

"BEGIN!"

The two faced off motionlessly. "So what is your clone up to Naruto-kun?" Naruto's eyes widened. "You forgot about my doujutsu. When you create a clone, your chakra is cut in half. I might as well as hold up a sign telling me what you did."

Naruto smirked and formed the hand-seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." The clone sat on the ground in a meditative position.

After just a few seconds, Arashi's eyes widened. "I've seen this once before. Looks like I'm not the only shisho who imparted some of his best skills onto his student. Naruto-kun's look's different however." Naruto's features only barely changed. The clone's eyes were surrounded by a thick red outline. When his eyelids opened, pupils were shown to look more like a pill shape. Arashi looked up to the Raikage. "ACTIVATE THE SEALS~!"

The Kage's eyes widened. He looked at his attendant, who was looking at him. "Well ... YOU HEARD HIM!" Arashi watched as the clone disappeared. This act transferred its appearance to the original.

Arashi didn't hesitate to send Naruto at the wall with a punch in the face. Hinata gasped into her hand. "What is Arashi-shisho thinking?"

Kyoko looked on with wide eyes. "It's hard to believe he's holding back."

Yugito shook her head slowly and shakily. "He's not holding back." All the jonin's eyes widened. "There is a crack in the wall. To do that through the barrier, a lot of power is needed. Arashi-sama did that with one punch."

Everyone watched in complete shock as Naruto stood up and spit a little blood onto the ground. Most couldn't follow as he suddenly punched Arashi in the same way. Even the crack in the wall was nearly the same. After a few seconds, Arashi repeated the act of standing up and spitting out a bit of blood. He disappeared and reappeared a short distance away from Naruto. He smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Now that the introductions are done, let's get started."

Naruto also cracked his knuckles and just smirked. A sudden flash shocked most of the spectators and signaled the coming of a lightning storm. The pair stood motionless, counting the seconds. With the boom of thunder, their fists collided. Few could tell if it was really the weather causing the reverberation through the arena. Arashi pulled back and launched a low spinning kick. Naruto perfectly timed his flip to perform a one-handed handstand on Arashi's leg. Arashi leaned then flipped back to kick Naruto off. Naruto spun through the air and created two clones. They landed and put their hands together. Instantly, a massive Rasengan formed at both sides. "SAGE STYLE: GIANT RASENGAN!"

The two clones split up with the massive orbs of chakra in hand. Arashi waited as the two clones prepared their pincer attack. Arashi charged the original just before the chakra hit him. Naruto was ready with a sharp punch. Arashi barely dodged it, but was still sent flying back. The clones were waiting with their attacks. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Arashi used the stepping stone to flip just over the jutsu. As the collision of chakra exploded, the clone charged Naruto. He feinted with one punch to the face with a simultaneous punch to the gut. He followed by grabbing the back of Naruto's face and slamming it into his knee. He tried to punch Naruto's sternum, but the fist was grabbed. The blond pulled the clone in and flicked his fist just onto the clone's chin, dispelling it.

When he looked up, he saw Arashi defeating the second clone by brutally slamming its head onto the ground. Naruto moved in with both hands at the ready. "DUAL RASENGAN!" Two Rasengan formed in each hand.

Arashi ducked under the jutsu, deflected Naruto's hands up, and sharply punched him in the gut. "Married Fists." Arashi punched Naruto with both fists at once. He followed with multiple combined punches. Naruto retaliated, but was blocked by both hands. They fixed their eyes on the other as the storm in the sky intensified. Barely two seconds passed between lightning flashes.

Hinata watched the two while trembling. "What kind of fight is this? Never in my wildest dreams did I expect Naruto-kun to be so strong." She clutched her chest as her heart beat as if it was going to tear through her. "I feel like I'm~ the one fighting down there. … Why?" Just thinking that made her heart beat even more fiercely.

Yugito also trembled as she watched. "This is impossible. The last time I saw that brat, he didn't stand a chance against me. Now he's fighting Arashi-sama toe to toe. It's unimaginable."

Kyokugen punched his open palm. "This is a once in a lifetime fight. It's like a fight between Kage."

Kyoko shook her head. "No, it's more than that."

Chojuro nodded. "I agree with Kyoko-san."

The Raikage couldn't believe what he was watching, both on the ground and in the sky. "What has that boy been through to allow this much growth. Arashi-sama is no doubt stronger than when I last saw him yet he is being matched by this boy."

The two suddenly broke off their hold. Arashi jumped into the air with all his might while stringing together some hand-seals. Naruto created two clones. "SAGE STYLE: GIANT RASENGAN!" One clone disappeared, leaving the two Rasengan with the two remaining Naruto.

Arashi finished his hand-seals at the apex of his jump. "LIGHTING STYLE: ION-PLUS STREAM!"

The Raikage watched as countless thin streams of lightning chakra made their way down to Naruto's attack. As this happened, he noticed how the two orbs of chakra were creating a vortex of wind in the space above them. The two Naruto yelled out and jumped. With a flash, lightning used Arashi's streams as a path to Naruto. The attacks collided in a brilliant explosion. Under the shockwave of the collision and thunder, many began to fear that the barrier was not enough to protect them.

Even the Raikage shared this fear. "Naruto means maelstrom … and Arashi means tempest. How fitting for that single moment." He clenched his fists to stop his trembling. "This isn't a fight between two shinobi. It is a fight between two forces of nature. Nothing can contain it. It is as if the gods of power have cast their shadows on this fight."

Arashi soon landed on the torn ground. In a short distance away, Naruto was balanced on a very unstable rock while sitting in a meditative position. The area around him looked like a small canyon. Arashi stepped forward. "YOU PUT A LITTLE WIND CHAKRA IN THAT LAST ONE DIDN'T YOU?" Naruto's smirk was all the answer Arashi needed. "Thanks to this sage mode, I'm fighting blind. I'm used seeing everything my opponent is doing. Lightning Style: Volt Shot." The beam of lighting chakra tore up the pillar of stone Naruto was sitting on. He fell to the ground like a rag-doll, letting the debris land on top. He then crawled out moments later as if it was nothing. "Earth Style: Bolder Slam." The rock Arashi was holding looked more hill sized.

As the rock fell towards him, Naruto just held out his hands and caught it. He narrowed his eyes. "It's taking my chakra." The blond tossed the bolder up the impossible distance.

After some hand-seals, Arashi held his palms out and let his self be sent up with the rock when it hit him. "Lightning Style: Fault Shock." The stone seamed to vibrate furiously. "Earth Style: Stone Shower." He slammed his palm against the stone, causing it to break into countless boulders raining down on Naruto. The blond disappeared in the dust of the countless collisions. Tense moments passed as the dust slowly settled. Arashi broke his attention from the hole in the ground and back away. This was in time for Naruto to break through the ground below. Arashi smirked at him. "I saw that before when you fought Neji Hyuga. Got anything new?"

Naruto mirrored Arashi's smirk and took on a fighting stance. "That's for me to know."

"I'll show _you_ something then!" Arashi ran in. Thanks to an overwhelming sensation, Naruto had a great urge to dodge an attack that wasn't launched yet. When Arashi prepared a punch, Naruto leaned back to dodge only to be slammed to the ground with a blow to the chest.

From where she watched, Hinata's eyes widened. "Arashi-shishō's killer intent was aimed for Naruto's face. I never thought Arashi-shishō could feint such a thing." Arashi grabbed Naruto's face and lifted him into the air. He followed with a 360 spinning punch. Naruto crashed heavily against the walls. Hinata hands formed tight fists. "I never thought Arashi-shishō could be this brutal either."

Naruto pushed himself out of the crack in the wall. Arashi watched as he stumbled a bit. "Looks like that hurt him a bit." Naruto seamed to freeze in place for a few seconds before charging forward. Arashi took a stance with his right side forward. Naruto stopped in front and prepared for another round of taijutsu. He was shocked when Arashi slipped to the side. Naruto tried to follow, but Arashi skillfully maintained his position outside the blond's vision. All he ever saw was a hook just before hitting his temple. Another blow to the chin rattled Naruto's brain and sent him stumbling. After a few more motionless seconds, Naruto stood up as if nothing happened. "I finally figured out your resilience."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Really?"

"I know your Sage Mode needs natural chakra. I've figured out that you need to be perfectly still in order to absorb this chakra. Every chance you get, you replenish your energy. It also helps recover any injuries." Arashi took up the same stance as before. "I'm done observing."

Naruto smirked, but only as a feint. "And they call me unpredictable. How can Arashi go anywhere but ahead standing like that? I can't fight him forever."

Arashi moved forward this time. "Seikuken."

Naruto quickly recognized the technique and curled up to receive Arashi's blow. He then quickly stepped forward "Seikuken."

They didn't take long to close the distance between themselves. The exchange of blows was both fast and destructive. Arashi launched a punch from above, which Naruto blocked. The force of the blow caused an explosion of stone under Naruto's feet. Arashi tried to knee Naruto's waist, but the blond jumped up and flipped into an axe-kick. Arashi blocked with both arms and the ground exploded just like before. Arashi grabbed Naruto's leg and threw him back into the hole. He then jumped into the air above and formed the crossed-seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." The clone formed behind him and grabbed the soles of his feet. Simultaneously, the clone pushed and Arashi jumped off.

Arashi crashed into Naruto in an explosion of stone and dust. Many watched with batted breath, wonder what was happening. The sound of a fist hitting flesh echoed out just before Arashi flew out of the hole. With a big smile on his face, Arashi righted himself and waited. Naruto flew out of the hole with a clone giving chase. The clone from before also attacked. They pinned Naruto down, but not before he finished some hand-seals. "Chakra Transfer Jutsu."

Arashi's eyes widened. "What's he going to do with that jutsu?" Naruto placed his hands on the clones. They quickly realized what was happening and disappeared. When this happened, Arashi received both the clone's memories and the chakra Naruto gave them. He suddenly fell to his hands and knees while forcing out all the foreign chakra he could. Arashi looked up to Naruto as some toad-like featured disappeared from his face. The moment later, he began feeling sudden exhaustion. "I can't believe he turned the Chakra Transfer Jutsu … I taught him into such a deadly attack. Still, I can't let up now."

Naruto watched Arashi stand up on shaky ground. "I've got this." As Naruto prepared his final attack, he failed to notice all the emotion around Arashi disappearing. His eyes even returned to their original hazel color. Arashi perfectly dodged all of Naruto's attacks and batted his arms to the sides. Naruto's eyes widened when Arashi's fingers were placed against his chest. "NO!"

"Mubyoshi." The blow sent Naruto flying at extraordinary speed. Even with the barriers, a number of spectators could feel tremors all the way to the top.

Close inspection revealed that Naruto's facial features have returned to normal. He pushed his self out of the hole in the wall and leaned against the rim of that hole. "Itai, it hurts just to stand. I used all my sage chakra to block that and I still feel it. I'm really exhausted right now." He smirked. "I still have my backup plan." The clone he had waiting in the stairs disappeared, transferring all the natural chakra it collected to him. With the flow of new energy, Naruto stood up straight and faced Arashi down.

Arashi watched him emotionlessly. He slowly began to perform hand-seals. Four people were shocked by this; the Raikage, Kirābī, Yugito, and most of all Hinata. "Impossible. That's … impossible. I know what that Seikuken is like. Arashi-shishō can't possibly be thinking of using a jutsu. Even a slight distraction will disrupt it. I doubt I can mold enough chakra to activate my Byakugan for half a second without losing control."

The Raikage recognized the jutsu Arashi was using. "That can't be. That is one of my best jutsu. I can't imagine that power combined with the Streaming Seikuken. This must be Arashi-sama's last effort."

Arashi finished his hand-seals. "Lightning Armor Jutsu." The chakra coated Arashi in a shell of powerful lighting chakra. In the sky, lighting flashed and thunder roared. It was clear that the climax was just beginning.

* * *

**I have left you readers with yet another cliffhanger. The fight between Naruto and Arashi is turning out to be something big. I am actually inspired a bit by an event in the manga of Mahou Sensei Negima. The barrier seals are part of that inspiration.**

**Now, since this chapter is a wee bit shorter than usual, I have an omake prepared.**

Tsunade stood up on a podium in front of a big crowd. "ALRIGHT, IT IS TIME AGAIN FOR THE KONOHA _NUMBER ONE_ AWARDS!" She pulled out a piece of hidden paper. "FIRST UP IS THE NUMBER ONE QUIETEST SHINOBI." She looked at the paper. "SURPRISINGLY, SHIBI ABURAME HAS LOST THIS TITLE TO HIS SON! WILL SHINO ABURAME PLEASE COME UP?"

Shino stepped forward and looked into his father's eyes momentarily. He then made his way up to the podium to receive a small trophy.

Tsunade smiled at him. "Do you have a speech prepared?" Shino simply shook his head and walked away. Tsunade laughed nervously. "Well, that's just what you'd expect." She turned back, to the crowd. "NEXT IS THE AWARD FOR THE NUMBER ONE LOUDEST SHINOBI!" She pulled the paper out and looked at it for a few seconds. She turned to Shizune angrily. "WHAT'S THIS SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

The woman chuckled nervously. "Well~, you have been yelling the entire time."

The Hokage blushed slightly before coughing into her hand. She then turned to the crowd. "Moving on~. Next up is the number one intelligent shinobi! This award goes to Shikaku Nara of the Nara clan! Will he please come up?" Shikaku walked the distance while rubbing the back of his head. He took the trophy from Tsunade. "Will you say some words?"

"Too troublesome." He walked back to his original place.

Tsunade watched him. "Okay~. That's your typical Nara." She turned back to the crowd. "The next person has won two awards for the number one hyperactive knuckleheaded shinobi! Will Naruto Uzumaki come on up!" Naruto slowly walked up the way with a confused expression. Tsunade noticed this easily. "What's wrong Naruto?"

Naruto thought about it a bit. "I usually win the unpredictable award. What happened?"

Tsunade laughed nervously. "Someone else has won the number one unpredictable shinobi award."

"Who?"

Suddenly, clouds began to collect overhead. The wind began to pick up as well. Everyone began the feel the approach of something. After a few seconds, an explosion of smoke occurred just behind Naruto and Tsunade. The smoke cleared quickly, revealing Arashi with his arms wide. "HELLO~ KONOHAGAKURE! YOUR NUMBER ONE UNPREDICTABLE SHINOBI HAS ARRIVED~! I WOULD LIKE TO THANK FLYING PIGS, PINK MUSHROOMS, AND EXPLODING BRAS!" He took Naruto's trophy, rubbed his blond mop, wrapped Tsunade in a big hug, spun around to Shizune, kissed her full on the lips, turned to the crowd, and raised his hands high into the air. "GOOD MORNING KONOHA!" He disappeared just as he arrived, leaving behind well over a hundred bewildered shinobi. Not even the Nara could figure out what just happened.

* * *

**That marks the end of my first real omake. I really enjoyed writing Arashi's part in it. It's simply beautiful. I hope some people fell off their chairs. You can't sue me because you don't know who I am. TILL NEXT TIME!**

**Next Chapter: The Exams Conclude. **


	65. The Exams Conclude: Chapter 65

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. As soon as she heard Naruto say he will fight Arashi, she threw the kunai to wake him up. Before the battle, he analyzed the field's changes. He then pointed out how Naruto's chakra was split in half. The match began, but they did nothing as a new clone sat on the ground. Arashi quickly realized what Naruto was doing and yelled out for the protective seals to activate. To compliment the battle to come, a lightning storm brewed. The fight between them continued in a way that would be impossible to explain with just a few words. Nearing the last legs of the battle, Arashi combined the Streaming Seikuken with Lightning armor while Naruto pulled on the nature chakra inside of the clone he created on the stairs.)

* * *

**I am really starting to lose interest in writing this story. To give you an idea of this, I rather do trigonometry then write it. I'm fairly close to having to wrap it up anyways.**

**4-25-10**

**The Exams Conclude**

Just how the battle began, the two faced off. People began to notice that the storm in the sky was starting to die off. Naruto moved in quickly and stopped right in front of Arashi. He tried two punches and a high jump kick, but all where dodged flawlessly. Arashi just stood up normally after Naruto finished his attack. Enticed by the low guard, Naruto prepared a high hook. Arashi revealed his trap by getting right under Naruto.

Looking down at this, Naruto thought Arashi looked like Lee preparing the Front Lotus. The difference was that his presence was more like a demon preparing to send someone to heaven. "Not good!" Naruto put up his guard.

Arashi unleashed a vertical kick that smashed both the ground Arashi was standing on as well as Naruto's sternum. The unbelievable power behind the single kick sent Naruto straight up into the air at a speed that most could not follow. Arashi only brought his leg down and watched the blond soar.

Naruto coughed up some blood as the ground quickly began to get smaller. The blond was sure that if he wasn't in sage mode, he would have been killed by that kick. His vision became hazy very quickly. His assent slowed as his consciousness faded. He still managed a smile. "Time for the back up."

He opened his eyes once again within a large maze of a sewer. He didn't waste much time finding his way to his target. The massive beast behind the thick bars glared at him fiercely. It then growled. "WHAT DO YOU~ WANT?"

Naruto smiled widely. "Just a little recharge."

It growled again. "I DESPISE~ THAT _INFURIATING _SMILE OF YOURS!"

"Because you know you can't do anything unless I'm angry."

"I WILL TAKE CONTROL AND GET MY REVENGE ON YOU! I WILL ENJOY OBLITERATING THAT PUNY VILLAGE OF YOURS! YOUR MATE WILL FEEL ESPECIALLY GOOD BETWEEN MY TEETH!"

Naruto only watched him with a blank expression before smiling again. Streams of red chakra were pulled into Naruto. "Good luck with that fluff ball." He disappeared just before the Kyubi roared at him.

The beast started to breathe heavily, growling when he exhaled. "YOU CAN HUFF AND PUFF ALL YOU WANT BUT YOU LOST!"

The Kyubi turned around to the equally sized figure behind him. The large dark blue eyes faced him calmly. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE MUCH CHOICE! YOU WOULD HAVE AN EASIER TIME BREAKING THROUGH THE SEAL KEEPING YOU FROM NARUTO!"

"DIE~!"

"I QUESTION YOUR INTELLIGENCE! YOU MUST BE AWARE THAT MY DEATH WOULD MEAN YOUR DEATH!"

The Kyubi only growled in response."

**Back in the outside world:**

Arashi watched Naruto begin to fall. He couldn't tell what Naruto was doing without the Keikigan, but he knew he was still ready to fight. Arashi suddenly fell to his knees. When he looked back up, the emotion was back in his eyes and they were the usual shifting blue. "I'm surprised I managed that for so long." He gripped his head tightly. "Trying to keep those both up is a real headache." He looked at Naruto. "Not good."

Arashi quickly backed away as Naruto crashed into the ground. Hinata watched with a worried expression. "Is Naruto-kun even alive after that?"

She received a clear answer to her question when the smoke cleared. Unbelievably he seemed to be fine. Arashi was already preparing himself. The two looked each other in their eyes with a single understanding transmitted between the gaze. They ran forward with one fist prepared each. The sound of the sharp blow exchanged was covered by the fading roar of thunder. Naruto managed to land a blow on the side of Arashi's head. Naruto received a blow to his solar plexus. As the blond backed away, Arashi only stood there with a blank expression.

Naruto smirked as Arashi stumbled forward a bit. "Got him." The next thing he knew, Arashi was in his face. Naruto tried to retaliate, but Arashi ducked under the blow and landed his own against Naruto's chest. He grabbed the blond's outfit before he could be sent flying by the force of the blow. He then began attacking Naruto continuously with Gungnir. A blow to the face sent Naruto spinning backwards. Arashi quickly caught up and ax-kicked the blond right into the ground. He then lifted Naruto up by the head and started circling him to punch from every angle possible.

Hinata watched with a terror stricken expression. "Arashi-shishō is even _more_ brutal." She managed to catch a glimpse of his eyes. "No … he couldn't be. But … if he is." She clenched her fists in a show of resolve.

Arashi threw Naruto to the wall furthest from him and gave chase after an instant. His fist was held at his side, ready to be thrown at full power. Everyone watched with bated breath as the deadly force approached the blond. Without warning, Arashi changed the aim of his punch, damaging a section of the arena walls and causing a tremor up in the stands. People soon realized that the reason was a living barrier standing between him and Naruto; Hinata. She spread her arms wide while on the verge of tears. "That's enough. … You've done e-enough. Just … stop."

Arashi's arms fell under gravity's power. A second later, the rest of his body did. Hinata turned to Naruto and examined him carefully. Her eyes widened at his unconscious form. "MEDICS~~~~~!"

Her pained scream caused a true feeling of dread to fill the area. Kumo medical shinobi wasted no time getting there. Two pairs were available for Naruto and Arashi. They quickly went to examine the two combatants. "May I be of assistance?" They turned to see Kabuto standing right next to them. "I am fairly skilled with medical jutsu."

They shook their heads. "Your assistance will not be necessary."

Kabuto shook his head in disappointment before turning to Hinata. "What happened?"

Hinata lowered her eyes with a sad expression. "I think Arashi-shishō was fighting unconscious."

Kabuto paused for a second before nodding. "That makes sense. I've heard of cases where those skilled in taijutsu can fight even after losing consciousness. I have even heard of such people being more dangerous than when conscious. It must have happened when Naruto-kun hit the side of Arashi-sama's head." He took a close look at Hinata. "Your arm looks stiff."

Her eyes widened. "Hai~, it is~. I guess I didn't notice."

Kabuto held out a hand glowing with chakra and used it to scan her arm. "Arashi-sama's power is frightening. He barely clipped your arm with that punch. Even so, your muscles and nerves were stunned by the shockwave and your bone even has a slight fracture. It's small enough to heal quickly if left it is not agitated, but it is still a frightening injury since Arashi-sama couldn't have been closer to missing you. Get back with the others and avoid doing anything strenuous with that arm."

"Wait a second." She turned to the medics who were putting Naruto on a stretcher. "How is he?"

One looked at her. "He has a remarkable recovery rate and is incredibly resilient. I can't say for certain when he will recover completely, but I doubt his life is in danger."

Hinata let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." She followed the medics as they carried the two away.

Kabuto chuckled. "She ignored me." He turned to the center of the obliterated arena. "No matter." He quickly reached the center.

Seconds later, the proctor arrived. He had a fearful expression on his face. "W-will you be f-fighting?"

Kabuto smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not at a level needed to produce that kind of fight."

The proctor nodded nervously. "Who w-will you be f-fighting?"

Kabuto smirked and adjusted his glasses. "I believe there is one jonin who has not been in a fight. I would like to face her if you will."

The proctor nodded and took a deep breath. "WE WILL NOW CONTINUE TO THE FINAL MATCH!" He looked towards the jonin. "KYOKO FUKU!"

With the other jonin, Kyoko gulped loudly. Kyokugen chuckled nervously. "I getcha. No one in their right mind would want to fight anyone connected to those monsters from before."

Yugito's eyes twitched. "They _aren't_ monsters. They are just very strong. Anyways, I'm sure that guy down there isn't at that level. He's never actually trained under Arashi-sama."

She let out a sigh. "So I can relax a little."

"I wouldn't say that either. Kabuto is still at the level of a jonin. Letting your guard down would be a bad idea."

Kyoko let out a strained sigh. "I'd wish Yugito-san would make up her mind."

She made her way down to the arena and to her opponent. The relaxed smile on his face didn't help her with her tenseness at all. The proctor looked at the two consecutively. "THE FINAL FIGHT WILL BE KABUTO YAKUSHI AGAINST KYOKO FUKU! BEGIN!"

Kabuto started off by pulling out a thick knife with the tip curved back and quickly putting it to use. Kyoko managed to pull out a kunai to block the attack. "He's fast. … But, he made a big mistake." She backed away just out of Kabuto's next swing and pulled out two more kunai. She tossed one lightly into the air and moved back in. With both in hand, she unleashed a flurry of attacks, keeping Kabuto from getting in his own attack. He had to back away as the kunai that was thrown up was about to land on him. Kyoko tossed one she was holding and caught the falling one. This forced Kabuto to defend himself from her following attack while off balance.

"This is a skilled fighting style. I'm impressed." She tossed one kunai lightly while keeping Kabuto off balance with the other one. He managed to dodge it, but she pulled out another kunai. When the chance presented itself, she tossed one at his feet. By what could have been luck or skill, it hit just between his toes. She came in with both hands holding kunai again. "Time to wrap this up." Kabuto's free hand charged with chakra as he struck out at Kyoko's wrist. She yelped and dropped a kunai. She used her other kunai to block Kabuto's knife. "That is an interesting way to use multiple kunai. If I wasn't so good at cutting tendons, I would be in trouble."

She gritted her teeth and backed away. "He's not flashy, but he gets the job done." Her eyes widened when Kabuto disappeared under the effects of an earth jutsu. She prepared to jump away at a moments notice. At the sound of cracking earth behind her, Kyoko tried to jump away. This failed as Kabuto cut the tendons of her foot. As she fell, he chopped the back of her neck lightly. She tried to move away, but was surprised when her body didn't work right. "What is this?"

"That is something I learned from Hokage-sama a while back. I changed my chakra into lightning chakra and struck the back of your neck, sending your nervous system in disarray. It will take ten minutes to regain normal function. In a real fight, I'm sure you realize how much time that is. I don't think we need to go any further." He lowered to his knees and started healing her tendons. He then stood up. "I can't do anything about your loss of control." She stumbled in an attempt to move. Kabuto laugh at her. "It's still pretty funny watching you try to stand." She glared at him, which was good enough reason to laugh harder. "It shouldn't be too hard to stand up. I was able to figure out how my body worked after a minute."

She glared at him as he walked away. "Aren't you going to help me stand?"

He waved back at her. "You're a big girl. I'm sure you can handle it yourself." He started chuckling continuously.

**In Kumo Medical Room:**

The medics wasted no time getting both Naruto and Arashi in their rooms. Hinata had to wait outside as they were treated. The minutes she had to wait were some of the hardest ever. It reminded her of the time just before she was pulled into the crazy life Arashi practically created. "I owe them both so~ much. Years ago, I never had any real confidence. When I noticed Naruto-kun, his confidence was enough for the both of us. I always wanted to reach him, stand at his level, and eventually realized how I feel. Arashi-shishō understood me … inside and out. Even from the first days, he seemed to read my mind. He always knew just what to teach me too. He raised me into who I am now. I'm stronger than I would have imagined possible three years ago."

She looked up as a nurse approached. "Hello Hinata-san. It should be okay for you to visit them now. They are in room 129."

Hinata quickly made her way to the room number mentioned. As she got close, she began to hear a strange rumbling sound. When she found the room, she quickly realized what the sound was, causing a drop of sweat to form on the back of her head. "I'm starting to think Kami-sama has the same sense of humor Arashi-shishō does." She opened the door to receive the full sound of the two unconscious fighters sleeping. "If they can snore like that, then they must be fine. At least I can stop worrying." She noticed Naruto beginning to stir. "Already."

"Ugh~~~, what hit me." He looked up and saw Hinata. "Hey there Hinata-chan. How was the fight." His eyes became droopy and he let out a lethargic groan. "I'm exhausted." He fell back onto the bed and started snoring again.

Hinata developed a drop of sweat. "I wonder when I'll ever get a real chance to talk to Naruto-kun." She let out a sigh. "Maybe tomorrow. I really have to ask him how he can be so inhumanly resilient."

* * *

**I wrote most of this chapter in one day. I developed a little more interest in the chapter when I came up with Arashi going unconscious. I'm going to have them leave Kumo next chapter. Things will get moving again.**

**No clue what to call the next chapter right now.  
**


	66. Deciding Conversations: Chapter 66

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. The match between Naruto and Arashi continued with Arashi launching Naruto into the air. As his assent slowed, Naruto went into his mindscape to face the Kyubi. After taking the chakra he needed, He left the Kyubi alone with the darker figure further back. The two tried to end the fight with one attack each. This didn't stop it as Arashi started attacking ruthlessly. Hinata decided to stop the match by standing between Arashi and Naruto. She finds out from Kabuto that Arashi fractured her bone from the glancing blow. As they head into the arena's hospital, Kabuto begins his battle against Kyoko. She demonstrates a fighting style that works by using just kunai against him. Kabuto still takes the victory by using his chakra scalpels to cut her tendons before stunning her nervous system. In the hospital room, Hinata made her way to the room of Arashi and Naruto. As she realizes how much influence both have had on her life, Naruto wakes momentarily. When he goes back down, she decides to get him alone as soon as possible.)

* * *

**To let you all know, I'm going to start using the Raikage's name now. I will spell it E, but it is pronounce like the long form of the letter A.**

**5-9-10**

**Deciding Conversations**

**The day after the exams:**

Hinata made her way to the hospital that Naruto and Arashi were moved into. As she approached the room, she notices a nurse with a worried expression. "Don't tell me." She walks over to the door and looks through. Arashi was still there, but Naruto was gone. "I'm starting to think it'll be easier to love someone else." She shook her head. "If that is the easy path, then I'm stuck in the hard path." She focused on Arashi thanks to the snoring. "I doubt he's woken up at all. At least I can get a reprieve from his behavior. This is a perfect chance to talk to Naruto-kun." She made her way out of the building. "I only have to find him. Byakugan!" The veins formed around her eyes. "It's been a while since I've done this. I hope I haven't lost anything." She quickly began scanning through the large groups of people. "He must be somewhere alone." She began looking into areas with few or no people. She jumped up to the hospital's top for a better view. After a while of looking, she finally spotted him. He was sitting on the ground far outside of residential limits with his legs crossed and the back of his fingers against each other.

Hinata leapt off of the buildings edge with great force, easily covering a distance she would have thought insane a year ago. She keeps her eyes fixed on him as she closes the distance quickly. She barely crossed a tenth of that distance before Naruto opened his eyes and appeared to look directly into Hinata's eyes. "Is he looking directly at me? He shouldn't be able to see me though all the obstacles between us." Not once during the run did Naruto break his gaze, even though he shouldn't have been able to see Hinata. Almost there, the gaze was starting to make Hinata nervous. "I've forgotten everything I was going to say. What do I do now. I can't stand there without saying anything. If I stop, he'll know. I don't want him to think I'm scared, not after all I've been through." She finally reached him. Not able to remember what to say, Hinata said the first thing that came to mind. "H-hey Naruto-kun. I've never seen you s-so still before. Baka! Why'd you say something like that?"

Naruto smiled at her. "Yeah, it is~ weird. I've never been able to sit still for very long. The thing is that I need to if I want to use Nature Chakra."

This piqued Hinata's interest. "What's Nature Chakra?"

Naruto smiled at the question. "It's like a whole new kind of energy to put into my chakra. It's like taking a chocolate-vanilla swirl and adding mint to make it better." Hinata chuckled, causing Naruto to sweat a bit. "Did I just say something stupid?"

"That sounded just like something Naruto-kun would say. I think the chocolate-vanilla is stamina and spiritual energy fused to make chakra. The mint must be the nature chakra. Does it change your chakra."

Naruto nearly sighed. "Good, she understood. Hai. I get a whole new Sage chakra. This gives me a super power-up."

"That explains a lot. This could be how he matched against Arashi-shishō. I remember now. Is that what the clones were for."

Naruto nodded. "Hai. They gather the chakra for me and give it to me when they disappear. Still, I couldn't beat him with that power."

Hinata looked down at the ground. "Actually~, after you hit the side of Arashi-shishō's head he was unconscious."

Naruto's eyes widened. "So he was actually knocked out with that."

"I hope Naruto-kun doesn't feel insulted."

He proved to be just the opposite as Naruto started hoping up and down. "I BEAT ONI-ARASHI! I ACTUALLY BEAT HIM!"

Hinata chuckled again. "Oni-Arashi?"

Naruto looked at her apologetically. "Gomen. I guess I shouldn't call your shishō that."

She shook her head. "No, it's alright. He's a demonic prankster. That suites Arashi-shishō perfectly." She narrowed her eyes. "Too perfectly." She looked at the spot next to Naruto nervously. "C-can I sit there?" Naruto averted his eyes yet nodded. Hinata slowly sat down and looked at Naruto. "I hope I'm not making him feel uncomfortable." She looked closely at his face. "W-what is that?"

Naruto turned to face her. "What is what?" Hinata pointed to the side of Naruto's eyes. "Oh, that. That happens when I'm in Sage Mode." Naruto smiled widely. "You should see Ero-Sennin. He gets all these warts, his face gets fatter and his hands change."

Hinata looked away a bit and tried to imagine what Naruto was describing. She chuckled at the image she conjured. Her eyes widened at a small sensation on the side of the hand she was leaning on. "Naruto-kun's touching me." She shut her eyes. "Calm down. Just move your hand in."

Naruto's heart started beating faster as Hinata moved her hand under his. "Don't back off now." He took one slow breath and closed his hand on hers. As he did this, Naruto decided to release the natural energy stored in his body. He then looked directly at her.

Hinata could feel Naruto looking directly at her. She forced herself to look back at him. After just a few seconds, she lowered her gaze a bit.

Naruto took notice of exactly where Hinata was looking. This triggered something in Naruto's memory from that time when Arashi was with him and Jiraiya. "_It can be a bit difficult to tell what a girl's thinking. One thing you can watch for is her looking at your lips. I'm sure you can guess what that means. Don't second guess yourself on this one._" Naruto's face reddened a bit. "She's been looking there for two seconds. This is your chance." Naruto slowly began leaning forward.

Hinata didn't miss out on this. "Naruto-kun's going to kiss me. Move, breath, prepare … do something!" She failed to act before the connection. Her heart rate skyrocketed and she felt the core of her body trembling. She tightened her grip on Naruto.

Naruto's response was much the same as Hinata's. He shifted a bit and moved his hand up to trace his fingers from just outside of her ear's opening around to the back. Her body suddenly jumped in surprise before she just as suddenly fell onto Naruto's lap. "Hinata-chan~? … Hinata-chan!" He pushed on her gently. She moaned a bit and leaned in to maintain her position on Naruto's lap. During this, her hand moved to a very surprising spot for Naruto. He leapt back, causing Hinata to roll onto the rocky ground. He then became frantic. "What just happened. Hinata-chan just keeled over. … Wait, Oni-Arashi told me something about this._ 'Females tend to be more emotional than males. In some cases, their minds can go into an emotional overload … leading to abrupt unconsciousness._" He calmed down a bit. "Right. I remember that I fainted when… he~ forced us to kiss. That must have been what happened." He walked over to Hinata and picked her up. She rolled into his hold and rubbed her face into his chest. This didn't help much with any of his embarrassment. " I should go back to my room."

**Two minutes later:**

The nurse of the hospital was one cross word from yelling her guts out. "I _hate~_ Shinobi. _Fine!_" She pointed at the empty bed. "Just put her on that bed to rest. You have to come with me to sign your release form Uzumaki-san."

Naruto let out a sigh before walking over to put Hinata on the bed he was on when he woke up. He then walked out of the room to follow the nurse. "It's really difficult when a girl gets mad. I'm glad Hinata-chan isn't like that."

Just as Naruto walked way, Arashi started to wake up. He looked around a bit and immediately noticed Hinata. He was out of bed in a flash and over examining her. "Good, she's not injured." He looked closely at her face and smirked. "She looks like she's having a very good dream. … I'll ruin it a more simply this time."

He reached out and started tickling the spot behind her ear. An instant later, she sprang into a sitting position with a very stiff posture. She then rubbed her ear and glared at Arashi. "Arashi-shishō~. You know my ears are a sensitive spot for me. I hate it when you wake me up like that."

He smiled widely. "You hate every way I wake you up."

Her eyes narrowed. "That's because you can't do it normally. Just pushing a bit is enough."

"I know, but it's no fun." Arashi leaned in close. "So, how did you faint?"

Hinata blushed a bit before looking away. "I-it's nothing."

"I doubt that. For you to stutter, it has to be related to Naruto-kun." Her blood flow confirmed it for Arashi. "Did you faint from another kiss?"

She looked at him with and expression that was a cross between anger and embarrassment. "I didn't faint right away!"

Arashi smirked. "Did he touch your sensitive spot." Her blush grew darker, eliciting Arashi's laughter. "Bull's-eye."

Hinata's eyes widened a bit. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Arashi chuckled a bit before taking a quick breath. "When I was training Naruto-kun, I also taught him a few little things. One I said was that girls like to be gently touched on the face or neck when kissing." Her jaw dropped. "I told him to start by outlining the ear."

A second later, Hinata looked ready to kill. Arashi simply stood well within striking distance with a smile on his face. Hinata struck out with her palm, only for Arashi to duck. She lifted herself up on one hand and launched a kick towards Arashi's face. Arashi leapt over this and landed at the door. The instant Hinata looked at him, he waved and disappeared. She gripped her hair in frustration for a few seconds. When she let go, her hair was a bit disheveled and she was panting quickly. "I'm going to die of heart attack before I'm twenty."

Seconds later, the nurse walked up to the door. "Now I need to check up on Ayama-sama." She looked through the door and narrowed her eyes. "I _hate _shinobi." She looked at Hinata. "Kunoichi aren't that bad if you don't count Yugito-sama. Good day Hyuga-san. Since you only fainted, you are free to go anytime." She took a closer look. "Though as a nurse, I highly recommend a spa day. You look very stressed."

Hinata narrowed her eyes as the nurse left her sight. "You don't know the half of it."

**The Raikage's Terrace:**

The Raikage looked on at a group of nobles, jonin sensei, and surprisingly the Mizukage, Mei Terumi. She was wearing a blue dress that starts barely over the bottom of her large chest. A mesh shirt went a few inches over that, maintaining at least some modesty. She had auburn hair long as a thirteen-year-old is tall and her eyes were light green. She showed up the night of the exams under the pretense of a short vacation. Of course, she decided to show up for the chunin selections. "I think it is time that we get the selections underway."

Mei narrowed her eyes. "Aren't we missing a jonin. If I'm not mistaken, he is the one who fought against Ikari. It would be a shame not to see him. Chojuro-kun says he's very strong."

Sitting next to her was a man wearing an eye patch over his right eye and earrings with talismans attached. His shirt and pants are dark green with thin vertical stripes and a lighter green robe over them. His light blue hair formed a single vertical spike over the top of his head. "We shouldn't take Chojuro seriously when he says that. He's always been spineless."

She glared at him. "You need to stop putting Chojuro down. If he says someone is strong, then they are strong. Understand Ao."

Ao closed his eye. "This isn't the time or place for this engagement."

Mei's eye's twitched for a few seconds. "AS IF I'D EVER GET ENGAGED TO YOU!" Just before she stands up, the door opens and catches her attention. After realizing it was a man, she quickly sizes him up. "He's only a little cute, but he sure knows how to make an entrance. I like that in a man."

He walked right up to the Raikage and smiled. "Hey E, how you doing this evening."

He laughed. "I hope you haven't taken on my bro's rapping habit Arashi-sama." He reached out his hand.

Arashi quickly responded by grabbing the offered hand. "I just do it from time to time. That one was actually not planned."

"Is that so."

The two looked at each other for a few tense seconds while smiling. Ao focused on them. "This Konoha jonin and the Raikage must go back in some way. Maybe I can see what they are thinking." He focused chakra into his right eye. "Byakugan." After a few seconds, his eyes widened as he cut off the chakra flow. "They're trying to crush the other's hand." He focused on Arashi. "Additionally, this man who is much smaller muscularly is dead even with the Raikage. Neither is using any chakra. Chojuro is certainly not wrong about his strength."

In the back, the Raikage's assistant coughed into her hand. "Raikage-sama, Arashi-sama … this is not the time nor the place."

In succession, the pair looked at her, chuckled, then released the other's hand. Arashi picked out an empty seat that happened to be opposite of Chojuro. He turned his attention to the Kage sitting slightly to the right. "You must be the Mizukage. You are quite the engaging woman."

She blushed just before covering her cheeks. "My~, you shouldn't say such things to a woman. It's so embarrassing with so many people around."

Arashi blinked a few times before chuckling. "I think you misheard me. It was a simple compliment. I actually have someone back in Konoha. If you are looking for love, I recommend just looking next to you."

This quickly irritated her. "Are you crazy! I would never marry Ao, no matter how desperate I am!"

Arashi's eyes widened in an almost imperceptive way. First he looked at Chojuro, who was looking down a bit bashfully. Then he looked at Mei, who showed a high level of self-confidence and obliviousness. "I can't believe it. A male Hinata-chan and a female Naruto-kun." A ball of excitement started to form in the pit of his stomach. "I haven't felt this excited since I first started plotting how to get Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan together."

As Arashi worked to maintain control over what could become mad laughter, E took over. "I think we should get the Konoha genin over with and promote all three. Raise your hand if you agree." Everyone raised their hands except the Mei, Ao, and Arashi. Arashi was the one who surprised him. "Arashi-sama, what is wrong?"

Arashi broke out of his thoughts. "Huh?" He looked around a bit. "Who are we voting for?"

Drops of sweat formed on the backs of everyone's head. Ao was quick to speak up. "How can a man that oblivious become a jonin?"

"We are voting for all three of your genin Arashi-sama."

"Oh." He leaned back. "I'll abstain from this vote. I am technically their sensei."

"I see." E looked around a bit and saw that Mei's hand was up as well. "In that case, we are nearly unanimous."

Ao quickly protested. "I refuse to accept such an easy promotion without any discussion on their abilities."

Mei glared at him. "You should have more faith in people. For so many respectable people to make the vote, they must be truly worthy of promotion."

He crossed his arms. "I still want to meet each directly."

Arashi glared at him. "That's enough. You don't need to meet them. I don't want to see you going anywhere near them, especially Hinata-chan."

Ao narrowed his eye. "You play favorites."

"It's special. Her full name is Hinata Hyuga. I won't kill you, but if you get near her, your shinobi career will end."

His eyes widened. "Could he know that I have a Byakugan eye from a Hyuga I defeated long ago. This is the first time we met."

Arashi turned his attention to E. "Lets talk about the other two I fought. Both aren't ready for graduation. As you know, genin are watched in the second part and judged on their actions. Kiri's genin failed when he sacrificed his teammates for some extra speed rather than protect them. In a real situation, someone who does that too often will destroy their village's strength. When he faced me, he focused all his chakra into one attack in a rash desire to try killing me. He needs a complete change in personality before I'd accept him becoming a chunin. As for Nagigenki-chan, her attacking style is too predictable. I gave her some advice mid-fight, but her needing it is enough to fail her."

Kyoko 's eyes widened. "You mean that straight attack she used."

"Exactly Kyoko-chan, that was my advice to her. I think that Nagigenki-chan is used to holding back while teammates attack. The arching attacks are to attack blindsides while avoiding hitting them. Unfortunately for her, this was a one-on-one fight. She failed to keep this in mind and fought like she would usually. I think she'll be ready for the exams again after a year of training and experience, especially improving one-on-one fighting skills and creativity."

E nodded. "You make valid points Arashi-sama. Are there any disagreements." The room looked fairly silent. "I see. Ikari Angu and Nagigenki Burikko have failed for this year. Now for Gatami Karina." He turned to Kyokugen. "How would you rate her."

"She passes for sure. I know I'm not the smartest jonin, but she had me in her hands from the beginning. I couldn't even figure out what went on until Yugito-san explained it to me."

Yugito smiled. "That's right. Gatami really worked circles around him. From the beginning, she was using the tunnels to hide. She did it so well, her clone fooled him. She has a cat's cleverness."

Mei nodded. "Even if he isn't intelligent, fooling a jonin with a clone is still impressive. I say we promote her." She raised her hand.

Other hands started to follow. E looked around. "For the selections, two thirds of the voters have to agree for the genin to pass. Gatami fulfilled this condition. Gatami Karina has passed the chunin selection exams. The last on the list is Kakougan Tsuzuchi." E turned to Chojuro. "Since he was your opponent, do you have any comments on the matter."

"I wouldn't want to fight a more experienced member of his clan. His jutsu worked well against me."

Ao glared at him. "You're just acting weak again. What kind of jonin makes excuses for fighting a genin."

Mei slapped him on the back of the head. "That's enough. Say something else and you'll lose something."

Ao looked away. "He's never going to grow up with you coddling him like that."

Arashi lifted his hand a bit. "Can I say something?" They all turned to him. "Before my fight with Naruto-kun, I noticed that the ground was saturated with Kakougan-kun's chakra. If I'm not mistaken, he's from a clan that specializes in very high earth chakra affinities. I was asleep at the time, but I assume that he changed the terrain at the begging of the fight. He likely did this not to get a terrain advantage, but to have control over the terrain. A high chunin level or low jonin level shinobi would not have been able to hide from him anywhere in that arena and would have been attacked instantly." Arashi focused on Chojuro. "I've noticed that you do lack confidence, but I would still place you as a high level jonin. This lack of confidence would be trouble against a mid-level jonin, but it will make you use more skill than necessary against a genin. As for Kakougan-kun, I don't think he's quite at Gatami-chan's level, but I would say he's just about ready. He'd be great at guarding missions." Arashi raised his hand.

Seconds later, others began raising their hands. E looked around carefully. "People are less decisive than before. Arashi-sama effectively won some over after mentioning how Kakougan would be good at guarding missions. He still needs one more to pass." After a few seconds, one more noble raised his hand. "Does anyone want to retract their decision." E looked around. "Then five genin have passed these exams. All should be presented their chunin certificates when they return to their villages." E looked to Arashi. "Yours should be made jonin right after."

Arashi laughed. "Aright. I can't disagree with you."

Mei looked Arashi in the eyes. "I get that your students are strong, but why take the exams after reaching such a level."

Arashi chuckled. "That's a bit complicated. They haven't taken the exams till now because they have been out of the village or unable to attend for three years. I'm certain things like this have happened in the past."

E laughed. "True, but not to such an extent. I … the Raikage, would think twice before challenging Naruto-san to a death match."

Arashi chuckled while standing up. "I'll be going now." He disappeared in a puff of smoke. Up on the ceiling, Arashi smile. "I love the Shadow Clone Jutsu. I've found brand new toys to play with." He stood up and left in search of Naruto and Hinata or Kabuto.

* * *

**This chapter is long enough to make up for the shortness of the previous two. I've notice that if I don't mention a chapter being a bit shorter, neither will my reviewers. Human psychology is such a fun thing to play with. I guess in that way, I'm just like Arashi. As for Arashi, he will disappear for a bit so he can play in the mist.**

**Next Chapter: The Dawn Moves.**


	67. The Dawn Moves: Chapter 67

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. As Hinata made her way to the room Naruto and Arashi were in, she found that Naruto was missing. She quickly put her Byakugan to use to find him. As Hinata made her way to him, she realized that he was able to tell that she was coming. After learning of nature chakra and telling Naruto that he won, Hinata sat down. They continued to talk for a while before moving in for their first voluntary kiss. During this kiss, Naruto touches a sensitive spot on her ear, causing Hinata to lose control and faint. She later woke up in the same room as Naruto was in. Arashi woke her up using that same spot on her ear. Arashi runs away after Hinata learns that it was he who was responsible. Where he runs to is the meeting on who becomes chunin. He takes notice of the arriving Mizukage and her guard Ao. The failing genin were Ikari and Nagigenki."

* * *

**5-23-10**

**The Dawn Moves**

Naruto and Hinata made their way out of Kumo. Kabuto came in from behind. "This has been an entertaining trip. It goes without saying that we will be promoted straight from chunin to jonin upon our return to Konoha."

Hinata turned to Kabuto. "Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"

"Something Arashi-sama told me. Act like you will succeed completely and you tick of those against you."

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "There is no one like that here."

"I'm preparing myself for the return to Konoha."

Hinata shook her head. "You've become too much like Arashi-shishō." Her expression turned curious. "Speaking of Arashi-shishō, where is he? You seem to spend more time with him than I do."

Kabuto smirked. "I believe he wants to go to Kirigakure on a _diplomatic mission._ Tsunade-sama just does not know yet. As for him spending time with me, I believe he wants you to have more alone time with Naruto-kun."

Both blushed brightly from the comment. Naruto was first to react verbally. "WILL YOU LEAVE US ALONE?"

Kabuto shrugged. "No can do. I need to fill Arashi-sama's roll in his absence."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You know we can kill you Onito."

Kabuto blinked. "Would that be my nickname? I consider it a compliment due to your name for Arashi-sama."

Naruto clenched his teeth. "You want to fight."

Hinata placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto-kun." This calmed him down.

"Perhaps I should leave you two alone for the moment."

They blushed at the off comment. Before they could respond, Kabuto chuckled and ran forward. The pair let off a sigh. Hinata looked directly at Naruto. "I doubt we'll ever get any peace."

Naruto looked at her for a few seconds before smiling. "I don't know. It seems pretty peaceful right now."

Hinata blushed at the comment. "Y-your right." She reached out and clumsily grabbed Naruto's hand. He stiffened at the action, but still took her hand into his. Both of their palms started to sweat in seconds but neither was bothered. "I wish this peacefulness can last forever."

**Amegakure:**

The Deva Realm of Pein stepped onto a seal on the ground. He formed a generic hand-seal. In a cave countless miles away, a holographic version of his self appeared right thumb of a massive statue consisting of two forearms sticking out of the ground and a demonic-like face in the back. Seven-colored static with the central details indiscernible in all but the eyes and the cloud marks outlined this hologram. An instant later, Konan's form appeared on the middle finger of the right hand. After a few seconds, the first appeared upon the left thumb; a large scorpion-like form, was obviously Sasori. "Finally~. I've been waiting forever."

"I apologize for the wait. We have suffered substantial losses in combative power and time. We cannot control time, but we have fortunately found replacements for our other losses."

Another appeared upon the left index finger. He had spiky hair and a spiral mask covered his face. "Yo~~ peoples! Tobi here~!"

Sasori let out a growl. "You're late. You disappeared a nine days ago saying you'd return in a week."

Another figure appeared upon the right pinky, which looked like a human in an elongated Venus flytrap starting at his waist and rising well over his head. As he appeared, Tobi stood on one foot with both hands forming a barrier. "AH~~~! SASORI-SEMPAI'S MAD! RUN AWAY~!" He performed a jerky movement. "Oh, Sasori-sempai isn't with me. Just kidding."

Sasori growled. "I'll kill you next time I see you."

"Eep."

The Flytrap one turned to Sasori. "_Don't be hard on him._ Tobi is a good boy."

One more showed up on the left ring finger. It was a man with spiky hair, strange slits on his neck, and a massive sword. "I was wondering when the next call would be. I would have been bored if it wasn't for recent events." He chuckled for a second. "I wonder what I'm going to do now that I don't have a partner."

Pein blinked slowly. "That was the point behind this meeting Kisame. Thanks to the events you speak of, we have lost Itachi Uchiha from our ranks. Fortunately, we have been able to recruit the ones responsible."

This captured Sasori's attention. "Are you sure that's the best decision. I'm against allowing those who killed one of our members in."

"It does not matter what one has done. Our final objective is capturing the Biju. We need anyone and everyone who can help in our goal."

Kisame chuckled. "Well, if they've joined our merry little band, where are they?"

"They have not received any rings. Additionally, there are four of them and we only have two rings. The one held by Orochimaru is still lost while the other was destroyed with Deidara's death. They will be considered honorary members until they can prove themselves in skill and in loyalty."

Sasori narrowed his eyes. "It sounds as if you expect them to betray us."

Tobi started waving his hands into the air. "Oo oo, let me meet them~. I want to tell them I'm their Tobi-sempai~."

Sasori glared at him. "Silence baka. You are late enough as is. Find me by noon tomorrow or I will kill you."

Tobi flinched away. "Opps, Sasori-sempai's mad."

Kisame laughed. "Tobi really has a way of livening up these dreary meetings. It would be very unfortunate if you killed him Sasori."

Tobi spread his arms wide. "Arigato~ Kisame-sempai~!"

Sasori moaned in annoyance. "We have wasted enough time with these distractions. We should focus on our goal with how far behind schedule we have gotten."

Pein nodded. "I agree Sasori. We have fallen far behind schedule. A majority of this delay has been the results of just one man."

Kisame chuckled. "I'd really like to meet up with this Arashi character. I'd have some real fun fighting him."

Pein looked directly at Kisame. "That is not advised. As you know, I fought against him personally and failed to kill him. I believe that we could lose yet another member if you attempted to fight him."

Kisame gave a wide toothy grin. "Don't be so sure. None of you know what I'm really capable of."

"That may be true but our main focus is capturing the Biju, not fighting unnecessary battles. For now, we have only managed to capture the Gobi, by pure chance no less. We must begin actively seeking out the Biju." He turned to Zetsu. "You told me before that you have found the location of the Sanbi."

The Flytrap nodded. "We have found it in a lake surrounded by forests. Sasori should be in the general area right now. _Heh, heh, the thing doesn't even have a Jinchuriki host. Sasori should have little trouble even without Tobi._"

Tobi started waving his hands in protest. "Wait, wait~. Tobi doesn't want to be left out." He turned his back to them and disappeared.

Sasori's tail swung through the air a bit while looking at Pein. "May I punish him when he arrives?"

"That will be unnecessary. Tobi is merely taking the initiative. You are to work with him in capturing the Sanbi."

"Understood." Sasori disappeared.

Pein turned to Kisame. "I want you to wait in the base near Takigakure. After we have captured the Sanbi, I want you to go after the Nanabi. We will then rely on Sasuke Uchiha and his team to capture the Rokubi."

Kisame laughed a bit. "You're getting pretty impatient boss. You're even targeting the big ones. I'm surprised the Hachibi and the Kyubi aren't included."

"Some of our spies have been able to gather information on those two and pass it on to Zetsu. Attempting to capture them will take more manpower than I am willing to invest at the time. For now, I wish to capture the other six."

Kisame grinned. "Saving best for last. Sounds like fun." He disappeared.

Pein turned his focus upon Zetsu. "I'll trust that you can act on your own until these three Biju have been sealed." Zetsu nodded before disappearing.

With that, the last two in the room returned their consciousness to their bodies. Konan stepped out from a pillar behind Pein. "Are you sure you don't want me to help in capturing the other Biju."

Pein focused on the horizon. "That will not be necessary Konan. I need you here to help me with managing this village." He turned around and walked past Konan.

As he did so, she watched him with saddening eyes. "That isn't what you really think. I know you want to avoid sending me out where you can't watch over me." She looked over the village. "I don't blame you."

**Back in Konoha:**

Tsunade rubbed her temples with the addition of medical chakra. The reason behind this necessity was the clone of a certain someone standing right in front of her. "You've only just become one of our jonin and I'm already tempted to make you into a missing-nin. I had a mission that I wanted you to perform."

"Come on~ Tsunade-chan. It isn't that bad. This is a great chance to build relations with Kiri."

Tsunade glared at him. "And your ulterior motive."

The Arashi clone held up his right index finger. "There is a guy with a personality like Hinata-chan's who has feelings for the Mizukage, who just happens to have traits similar to Naruto-kun."

Tsunade's eyes started twitching. "Nothing I can say will stop you from having your fun, won't it?"

The clone smirked. "Did you have to ask?" It disappeared.

Tsunade shook her head. "This guy's given me more headaches than a lot of my other shinobi have, and he's only been here for six months. Shizune is going to be disappointed to hear that he won't be back for a while. I just hope she doesn't show up for a while. I could use some peace and quiet." Her eyes widened as a loud screeching filled the room with an ear piercing sound. She immediately plugged her ears. "What the devil is that?" She noticed that the sound was coming under her desk. In her anger and frustration, she grabbed the desk and tossed it out the window. She then smashed a floor tile, to find a shining scroll. The instant she touched it, it stopped both the sound and light.

She was ready to destroy the scroll, but noticed a message where the scroll was. '_To the acting Hokage: Read the contents within the scroll when it is revealed. Signed; Minato Namikaze._' At the name inscribed at the spot, Tsunade's eyes widened.

**Next day, an Akatsuki hideout:**

The holographic image of Pein looked down at the massive catch in the center of the room. "You have done well to capture the Sanbi in such a short time."

Sasori took his position upon the fingers of the statue. "It would have been impossible without Tobi's aide. My skills are only effective against Jinchuriki hosts, not on full sized Biju."

Tobi, already in his position, pumped his fists into the air. "Yay, Tobi did good. Tobi is a good boy!"

Sasori shook his head. "Working with you wouldn't be such a headache if you'd act like a normal shinobi."

Kisame smiled. "None of us are normal shinobi. We couldn't stand a chance against the Jinchuriki if we were."

Sasori narrowed his eyes. "You enjoy Tobi's behavior more than you should. I've seen many shinobi like that die young."

"I trust in Tobi's abilities. I would not have accepted him as someone deserving of a ring otherwise. For now, we should focus on draining the chakra of the Sanbi before it regains consciousness." All the other members nodded and the ones with their hands visible formed the generic hand-seal. The Biju began floating into the air and was surrounded by a massive ball of chakra."

**On the trail between Kumo and Konoha:**

Naruto and Hinata just finished packing up their camp and eating breakfast. Hinata looked over to Naruto. "I wonder where Kabuto-san is. We haven't seen him since he left us yesterday."

Naruto held his arms over his head. "We don't have to worry about him. Onito can take care of himself."

Hinata shook her head while smiling. "Naruto-kun doesn't stop using his nicknames even if the person isn't present. That's really cute." She blinked a few times. "Um, Naruto-kun."

"Yeah Hinata-chan."

"You seem to call a lot of people by nicknames, but Arashi-shishō is different. You switch from just calling him Arashi or Oni-Arashi."

Naruto crossed his arms and thought about it a few times. "I guess you're right Hinata-chan. He's just really weird. Every acts the same as they usually do all the time, but he changes a lot. It's like he has a bunch of personalities." He looked Hinata in the eyes. "Do you know what I mean?"

Hinata had to restrain her expression from becoming one of dismay. "I know exactly what you mean. I can still remember how Arashi-shishō danced with me on my rhythm training. It felt like he was trying to dislocate my shoulders each time. I think he was going just under my limit purposely."

"Hey, Hinata-chan … what should we do when we get back home?"

Hinata gasped a bit at the question. "W-what do you mean?"

Naruto scratched his cheek. "Like after we become chunin. We should try to go out and celebrate."

Hinata blushed brightly. "Is Naruto-kun asking me out on a date?"

Naruto smirked at her. "Now I'm excited to get back home. Let's see who gets there first Hinata-chan." He suddenly started running forward.

After a few seconds, Hinata's mind caught up with what she heard. She smiled and started running after Naruto and then passing him. "I know you're faster than that Naruto-kun!"

He quickly caught up to her. "I was just giving you a chance." He sped ahead.

Hinata picked up her own pace. "That was really nice of you Naruto-kun." She inched ahead.

Naruto then inched ahead of Hinata. "Don't think I'm going to let you win."

Hinata retook the lead. "I'd be disappointed if you did."

Naruto smiled while chuckling. "I'm starting to feel like Bushy Brow. Shadow Clone Jutsu." The clone appeared and stayed behind.

Hinata watched this with her Byakugan. "Why do that?" Naruto smirked with a gleam in his eye. Hinata gasped. "You wouldn't."

Naruto's features suddenly changed, signaling the change into Sage Mode. "See ya." Naruto bolted past.

Hinata glared at his retreating form. "How did I get into this? Naruto-kun pulled me into his pace just like Arashi-shishō does." She smirked. "If he wants it that way." She began to focus chakra onto the soles of her feet. She began rocketing down the path, leaving imprints on the ground. With her Byakugan, she could see that the path curved up ahead. She ran through the forest, taking to the tree limbs.

Up ahead, Naruto slowed down a bit. "Maybe that was going a bit far. I shouldn't force Hinata-chan to keep up with my Sage Mode." Naruto's eyes widened as a mixture of lavender and midnight-blue landed right in front of him. Hinata looked back at him with a smile before bolting ahead. Naruto watched with wide eyes. "Why does that make my heart beat like this."

Hinata watched the path ahead carefully. "There's an even sharper curve coming up."

She slowed down just enough for Naruto to run past. "What's wrong Hinata-chan? Tired already?" Naruto ran forward, unaware of Hinata's actions. He started panting as his Nature Chakra gave out on him. "Already. It couldn't have been five minutes. Shadow Clone Jutsu." After a few seconds, the clone transferred the chakra to the original. "I should try to sense Hinata-chan out." He focused on the many types of chakra in a wide area. His eyes widened.

Hinata smiled while glancing at Naruto with her Byakugan. "He's figured it out."

In a minute, he caught up with her. "YOU'RE CHEATING!"

Hinata looked back at him. "We're shinobi. It isn't considered cheating Naruto-kun."

Naruto growled. "You'll need more than that to beat me."

Hinata swiped the air above the ground with her foot. Naruto suddenly tripped over the spot, at which Hinata laughed. "How do you like that variation of my Chakra Blades Naruto-kun?" Ahead on the path, Hinata saw someone. "There's Kabuto-san."

Kabuto walked down the path leisurely. "I wonder when those two will catch up." His eyes widened at two presences approaching quickly. He looked back to see Hinata then Naruto racing right past them. He watched with a confused expression as they disappeared in the horizon. "That was unexpected." He chuckled and adjusted his glasses. "I still have a ways to go if I wish to reach Arashi-sama's level."

Hours passed by as the pair continued racing. Hinata started falling behind. "I don't know how I can keep this up. Running like this is using up all my chakra. I can barely maintain this distance. Arashi-shishō would have blown past me by now." Her eyes widened as she came to a realization. This led to her suddenly tripping and soaring forward at high speed. However, her landing was soft. Hinata looked up to see Naruto holding her. "You were holding back, weren't you?"

Naruto flinched back a bit. "Uh~ yeah~~. How did you know?"

"You fought even with Arashi-shishō. I'm not that fast."

Naruto chuckled. "Gomen. I didn't want to leave you behind."

Hinata relaxed into his grip. "Arigato~~."

Naruto blinked a few times. "Hey, Hinata-chan." There was no response. "She must be tired. I can tell she used up a lot of chakra." Naruto looked up into the sky. "I should set up camp."

* * *

**This ending was kind of inspired randomly. I hope it doesn't feel tossed in. I guess I'll let you guys decide that for yourselves.**

**Next Chapter: Day Off****.**


	68. Day Off: Chapter 68

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. Naruto and Hinata made their way home from Kumo. During the early parts of the trip, Kabuto made and effort to annoy them before running off. As this happened, Akatsuki started to finally take action. Pein projected his consciousness to the stature, followed by the remaining members of Akatsuki. They immediately began taking action to capture the Sanbi, the Nanabi, and then the Rokubi. Back in Konoha, Tsunade had a conversation with one of Arashi's clones. After the headache of him disappearing, a loud sound worsened the condition of that headache. The next day, Akatsuki managed to capture the Sanbi and began to draw out it's power. As this happened, Naruto and Hinata picked up their camp to continue their way home. After some conversation, it suddenly turned into a race to see who could get furthest in that day. To keep up with Naruto's many speed enhancements, Hinata was forced to use chakra to increase the speed of each stride. It took a few hours, but this completely exhausted her chakra reserves. They then set up camp for the night."

* * *

**6-6-10**

**Day Off**

Another day passed as Naruto and Hinata quickly approached Konoha. The race they had the day before left them with an urge to get back home quickly, but without anyone getting exhausted this time around. They slowed down their run as they closely approached the gate. When they stopped, the guards could clearly see them. Kotetsu, the one with a cloth across the bridge of his nose spoke first. "If it isn't Hinata-san and Naruto-san. We did not expect to see you for another day. Where is Kabuto-san?"

Naruto laughed nervously. "We kind of left him behind."

Izumo, The one with tufts of hair covering an eye, laughed. "That is something I would expect from you, not Hinata-san."

Hinata blushed a bit. "Naruto-kun coxed me into racing with him. After that, we wanted to get home quickly."

Kotetsu smiled. "That … I believe. I would normally tell you to get to the Hokage's office right away, but she's not expecting you till tomorrow. It should be okay for you guys to take the day off. I know I would do it."

Naruto smiled widely. "Great!" He turned to Hinata. "Let's go to Ichiraku. I've been dieing for their ramen."

Hinata chuckled into her hand and nodded. "Hai." They wasted no time in getting to Naruto's favorite restaurant. Hinata stepped in first. "Good day Ayame-chan, Teuchi-san."

Naruto followed soon after. "Hey Nee-chan, Jii-chan."

Teuchi looked at them with a grandfatherly smile. "Well I'll~ be. It is about time we see the both of you coming in at once. Are you finally going out? It'll be great if you always have your dates here."

As the pair blushed, Ayame smacked the back of her father's head. "_Tou-san_~." She turned her attention back to the pair. "Don't listen to him. I'm sure that there are better places to have dates than here; though I'm glad you chose us."

The color of their faces finally reached full brightness. "Nee-chan~! You're embarrassing us."

Teuchi cupped his hears. "What's this? I don't hear a denial in that statement."

Hinata started to feel a bit woozy. She shook her head. "No, I can't do that now." With the help of some chakra, Hinata was able to stave off fainting.

Ayame smiled at her father. "Do you think this means that this actually is~ a date?"

He smiled back. "Seems like it."

Naruto huffed at them. "Let's go somewhere else Hinata-chan."

This caught the father and daughter by surprise. "No!"

Ayame bowed to Naruto. "Gomen. We won't tease you anymore."

Naruto sat down and smiled. "Great. I'll just have shrimp ramen." They were surprised by the unusually small order.

Hinata smiled. "I never expected Naruto-kun to do something like this." She sat down next to him. "I would like vegetable ramen."

With the orders in, the pair immediately started getting to work. Both got their orders in at the same time. As Naruto ate, he noticed Hinata looking at his bowl a few times. "Do you want some Hinata-chan?"

She waved her hands side to side. "N-no Naruto-kun."

He pushed the bowl over to her. "Don't be like that Hinata-chan. It'll be fine. Here~, here. There's a nice piece of shrimp for you too."

Hinata frowned for half a second before smiling at Naruto. "Hai." She slowly picked up the bite of food and put it in her mouth. As Hinata ate the food, Ayame grimaced at her expression.

"How was it Hinata-chan?"

She smiled at him. "It was g-good."

Ayame groaned. "I can't take this any more." She glared at Naruto. "How stupid can you be? Hinata-chan didn't want any of your ramen. She didn't like it either."

This surprised Naruto. He looked at Hinata. "Is she right?"

Hinata sighed. "Hai."

This surprised him even more. "You don't like ramen!"

She shook her hands side to side. "No, it's not that Naruto-kun. It's the shrimp I don't like."

Naruto blinked. "Oh. Why were you looking at my food then?"

Hinata looked towards her own bowl. "Well~, it's because of Arashi-shishō. When we'd go out to eat, he'd often order something with shrimp in it. When he found out I don't like shrimp, he started sneaking it into my food every time. It was one of his favorite jokes. Thanks to him, I'm a little cautious when seafood is present."

"Oni-Arashi is a real jerk."

Hinata chuckled. "Actually, he was really creative with it. He somehow was able to sneak it in where I wouldn't notice it until I ate it. There was one time when I was having a large piece of chicken where I thought I was safe. The shrimp was inside~ the chicken."

This caught Ayame's interest. "How'd he do that?"

"I asked and he said that he is just that good. I had no trouble believing him."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I couldn't do that."

Teuchi smiled at Naruto. "Don't feel bad Naruto-kun. Arashi-san was made jonin the moment he joined this village as a shinobi. You only just became a chunin, am I right."

Naruto pouted. "I actually beat Oni-Arashi."

This caught the family by surprise. Hinata looked at the edge of the counter. "Ano~. Gomen Naruto-kun, but your victory is~ … disputable."

Naruto made a contorted expression. "Eh."

"Y-you knocked Arashi-shishō unconscious. For shinobi, someone fighting while unconscious can still win. I think Arashi-shishō would have won that." Naruto pouted at this.

Teuchi stepped away from his cooking utensils. "Wait a second. Are you saying Naruto-kun actually did~ knock Arashi-san unconscious."

Naruto glared at him. "Why are you so surprised?"

Teuchi sweated a bit in nervousness. "Well, I knew you were going to come back stronger. I just didn't expect you to match up with the village's strongest jonin."

Naruto showed a skeptical expression. "What makes you so sure?"

Teuchi cupped his mouth. "I heard Arashi-san sparred with Kakashi-san and Gai-san at the same time. Before him, those two held the position of strongest jonin."

Naruto made his doubt obvious. "Oni-Arashi can't be that strong."

Hinata shook her head side to side. "It actually happened Naruto-kun. I watched Arashi-shishō spar with Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei. That fight was almost as high leveled as the fight you two had. Arashi-shishō proved his strength to everyone that day."

Teuchi smiled at Naruto. "If what you say is true, then you have to be as stronger than Kakashi-san. You should have a match with him when you get the chance. … Now then. Are you going to order something else? Your first order was so small; I could hardly believe it came from you."

Ayame hit him again. "You can ignore him. You two should get to somewhere else before he gets the chance to say anything again."

Naruto chuckled nervously. "Sure." He stood up from his stool. "Let's go Hinata-chan."

She stood up as he walked away. Before following him, she gave a bow to the two chefs. "Thank you for the meal."

As they departed, the two chefs watched the direction they left in despite not being able to see them. Teuchi smiled softly. "It's nice to see those two spending time together. They seem really good for each other."

"I agree with you Tou-san." She patted him on the back. "Now get back to work. We have to be read for more customers."

Naruto and Hinata didn't get very far before running into Ino. She immediately ran up to them as soon as she spotted them. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you guys back _this _soon. You guys must have done well in the exams. Was it very hard? I hear you have to fight a jonin in the third part."

Naruto smiled widely. "Nope. It was easy. Hinata-chan was really amazing against Nii-nee."

Ino was confused at the name. "Huh."

Hinata smiled at her. "He means Nii Yugito, a jonin from Kumo. She's really strong."

Ino laughed a bit. "It's no wonder you can handle yourself against a jonin Hinata. The real wonder is how you survived training under Arashi-sensei for so long."

This brought out Naruto's curiosity. "Why are you calling him Sensei?"

She looked directly at Naruto. "Oh, that. When Hinata-chan came back a few months ago, Arashi-sensei sent out clones to help train all of us. I'm actually a much better fighter and medical shinobi because of his training. I never would have thought that dancing could actually be used for training. That man's an insane genius."

Naruto smiled widely and poked his chest with his thumb. "I guess that makes me a master genius. I fought Oni-Arashi one on one. We went all out."

Ino blinked at him a few times before laughing. "You've _got_ … to be kidding. I know you're stronger Naruto … but that's crazy."

Ino stopped laughing at the fierce look in Hinata's eyes. "Naruto-kun is not lying Ino-san. You weren't there, so don't act like you know. I really believe that Arashi-shishō gave his all in that match. He and Naruto-kun truly are even in power and skill. I've never been so terrified watching two people fight before in my life. Maybe because I care about both of them so much. I don't know what I would have done if either got seriously hurt."

Ino was still a bit skeptical. "Can you even be~ that strong Naruto? I find it hard to believe that there's even one person that strong."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "You better believe it. I'm going to be Hokage one day."

Both of their eyes widened softly before blinking a few times. Hinata's eyes relaxed slowly as she smiled. "It has been a while since I last heard Naruto-kun say that."

Ino let out a sigh. "Alright. I have to run off to the hospital. I have a shift there." Ino walked away.

Naruto let out his own sigh and looked at Hinata. "How about we go somewhere we can be alone?"

Hinata blushed brightly at his words. "W-w-what are you s-saying Naruto-kun."

He looked at her with a confused expression. "I don't want to run into anyone else like that again."

Hinata relaxed. "Oh. What am I thinking! I was getting way too ahead of myself." Naruto jumped up to the roofs of buildings. Hinata followed him. She noticed that he was heading for the Hokage's monument. They ran up the side of the mountain with ease high level shinobi would be capable of. They quickly reached the top of the head of the Yondaime Hokage. As Naruto took a seat on the middle of his head, Hinata had a look around at the view. She then looked at Naruto. "He looks really focused right now. This spot must be special to him somehow. How many times have you been up here Naruto-kun?"

"This is my second time up here."

This surprised Hinata. "You've only been here once before. Is there any reason you come here."

"Just something Ero-Sennin told me."

"Okay." Hinata sat down beside him.

He looked at her a few seconds before taking in a breath. "Hey, Hinata-chan."

She looked back at him. "Hai Naruto-kun."

"When you fought against Nii-nee, were you scared when she turned into that monster cat?"

Hinata shook her head. "No." She looked down. "I was actually a bit happy. Yugito-nee-chan decided that she needed the Nibi's power against me. I never thought I could be that strong."

"And what about Kirabi? Do you know he has the Hachibi?"

Hinata nodded. "Hai."

"And how do you feel about them."

Hinata closed her eyes in thought. "I learned about it a few days after Arashi-shishō left me in Kumo to train. I think I was a little scared at first. I was being trained by two people with monsters inside them. Arashi-shishō trusted them though, so I tried to trust them too. It only took me two days to get over it. I now think its funny how both of them try to flaunt the fact that they have those beasts in them. Yugito-nee-chan loves sushi and makes a lot of cat puns while Kirabi-san actually tells some people to call him Jinchuriki-sama. I really admire the way they don't care how others think of them."

"Do you know about any other Jinchuriki?"

Hinata thought about it for a second. "I think Arashi-shishō told me that Gaara-san was one. He said that Gaara-san has the Ichibi. I met with him before you left with Jiraiya and I really don't think he's a bad person either. Arashi-shishō also told me about the people who are hunting the Biju."

Naruto stood up and got in her face. "You know about the Akatsuki?"

She shrank away from Naruto's fierceness. "H-Hai. W-we ran into them a f-few times."

Naruto took hold of her shoulders. "You didn't try to fight them, did you?"

Hinata suddenly pushed Naruto off and stood up. "What's gotten into you? Sure … I wasn't ready the first time, but I still held my own. I even won the second time around. I've always believed in you. Why don't you believe in me?" Naruto's eyes widened a bit before he developed a saddened expression. "Why are you so scared of Akatsuki?"

After a second, Naruto turned away from her. "Gomen. I guess I was just worried. Those guys are really strong, and I don't want any of my friends fighting them. It's my fight."

"What … do you mean?" After thinking about it a few seconds, Hinata figured it out. "The Kyubi." Naruto looked back at her in surprise. "That's it, isn't it? Arashi-shishō hinted to me that the Kyubi was sealed in someone in Konoha. That's you, right."

Naruto remained quiet for a few seconds before nodding. "Hai, that's me."

Hinata took a few steps back. Her expression was not one of rejection or acceptance. "This had to be Naruto-kun's secret. I could deal with the Kyubi alone, but it's much more complicated than that. I know how some people saw Kirabi-san and Yugito-nee-chan. They're expected to take on the hardest missions and always be the first line of defense. How many years of training will it take before I can be strong enough to take on the life Naruto-kun will have. I wish I had that something that lets Naruto-kun grow so quickly."

"Let's go see Baa-chan."

Hinata looked at Naruto for a second. "Sure."

Since the pair was only a short distance away from the Hokage's tower, it didn't take them long to get to Tsunade. When they walked in, Tsunade's eyes widened a bit. "Naruto, Hinata, I didn't expect to see you so soon. How did you get here so fast?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "We kind of raced here."

Tsunade shook her head. "I can see that coming from you." She focused on Hinata. "But not from you."

Hinata blushed a bit. "I got caught up in the moment." She noticed something glowing faintly on Tsunade's desk. "What is that scroll Hokage-sama."

When Tsunade looked at the scroll, her eyes widened for an instant. It had two colored bands glowing on each of its sides. One color was red while the other was dark blue. She quickly covered it and looked up at them. "That is a mission scroll. I could talk about it, but I think the both of you should take the rest of this day off. You can come back tomorrow morning to receive the promotions you've obviously earned."

Naruto glared at her. "You got that right Baa-chan. We aced those exams so good, we should be made jonin."

Hinata looked towards Naruto solemnly. "I wonder how he changes gears so quickly."

Tsunade smiled at Naruto. "Alright then. I'll have your promotions ready as soon as possible. Until then, dismissed."

Hinata bowed and walked away. Naruto followed after her with a sad expression in his face. "I wish I could tell what Hinata-chan was thinking right now."

When the door closed, Tsunade took a look at the scroll. The colors on the ends slowly faded into being the same pale color as the rest of the scroll. The first to go was the dark blue. "When I read this thing, I doubted it would even do anything. Now I'm starting to feel a bit anxious. I wonder if this will really put an end to the Akatsuki."

* * *

**And things are moving forward. This Kyubi reveal was really anticlimactic. Fortunately, I have something planned later to make up for it. Expect action.**

**Next Chapter: The Secret Mission.**


	69. The Secret Mission: Chapter 69

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Most Powerful Duo. Soon after they returned to Konoha, they ran into the Izumo and Kotetsu taking on guard duty. Both said that it would be a good idea for them to take the day off. The first place they went to was Ichiraku ramen. Both of them wasted little time in teasing Naruto and Hinata. They went on talking about themselves and Arashi. Ayame hit Teuchi numerous times. After leaving the ramen restaurant, they ran into Ino. She showed some serious doubt in their description of their fights, annoying the Hinata in the process. Naruto then decided for them to go somewhere private. The place that he chose was the top of the yondaime's head. He then began talking to Hinata about jinchuriki, and the about the demon's sealed inside of them. After Akatsuki came up, she was able to realize that Naruto had the Kyubi sealed inside of him. She then began to worry about how she would not be able to share in his life. After that, they went to see Tsunade. They briefly talked about receiving their promotions. Tsunade dismissed them and took a look at the scroll she found not long ago.)

* * *

**I am back in college so my updates are going back on schedule. (I hope.) Something about being home too long destroys my update rate. It'll probably happen next year too.**

**9-12-10**

**The Secret Mission**

Hinata walked away from the Hokage's tower at a brisk pace. "What do I do now? I never dreamed that Naruto-kun would have a power like the Kyubi's inside of him. I've always hoped to be able to walk beside him. That is why I decided to train like I did under Arashi-shishō. The months I spent with him were some of my most difficult. When I found out about Naruto-kun's Sage Mode, he still looked reachable because Arashi-shishō was able to fight him. Now, I have no idea how I can reach him."

Naruto ran right up to Hinata and slowed down at reaching her. His expression changed from a friendly expression to a somber expression. "Hey, Hinata-chan, are you okay?" He waited for her to respond. "Why won't you talk to me?"

Hinata let out a sigh. "Gomen Naruto-kun. I want to be left alone for a bit." Naruto slowed to a stop. Hinata jumped off. "I need some time to think."

Naruto watched her leave with a fearful expression. "Could she actually be worried about the Kyubi? … I have~ to talk to her." He prepared to step forward, but spun around. "But she just told me that she wanted to be alone." He spun around again. "What if it was one of those things where girls say they want something but want something else?" He turned away again. "What if I'm wrong?" He reached up to his hair and pulled on it. "I'll talk to her later." He walked away.

Unable to think of anywhere else where she could be alone, Hinata found herself heading into Arashi's basement. The lower area was just as barren as the upper area was messy. All the basement had was a small area for sleeping and a massive area for training. She shook her head. "I still wonder how Arashi-shishō managed all of this without anyone noticing. I don't care how~ slowly or carefully you do this; someone has to notice." She let out a sigh. "This is Arashi-shishō I'm thinking about. I am still trying to figure out all his skills." She looked around at the training area. "I'm starting to remember one thing Arashi-shishō told me over an over again. _When you feel inadequate, train. When nothing goes right, train. If you're worried, train._" Hinata shook her head side to side. "Arashi-shishō told me that every chance that he got and for any reason he could find. It was one of his favorite lines."

Hinata walked up to a wooden training dummy that was set up in the middle of the training area. She placed her hand on it and poured in some chakra. The limbs of the dummy stretched and retracted a few times before stopping at a certain length. This length made it just a few centimeters taller than Hinata. It then began attacking. Hinata wasted no time in avoiding the attack. She ducked under its high kick and let loose a quick palm strike to the chest, sending it back. It stood up and paused to readjust its size. It matched Hinata's height exactly before attacking.

Hinata avoided its attacks quickly. "This is one of Arashi-shishō's most amazing contraptions. He managed to put in all of his taijutsu moves into it. Each time it's defeated, it changes it's height to help someone be accustomed to fighting different sized foes. Its skill, power, and rhythm changes each time too." She tripped the doll and landed another blow to the chest. It stood up and shrank to Hinata's neck level. It moved in close and began attacking more quickly than before. "I've only recently been able to get this thing to the maximum skill level."

An hour passed by as the battle became something anyone below the level of the average genin could follow. The doll took a solid stance and began unleashing rapid karate punches. It reduced size suddenly and began surrounding her with even faster punches. Hinata slipped through and let out a direct palm strike. At the time of impact, she pushed every joint forward for maximum power. The doll stood up like always and dashed forward. "HINATA-SAMA!"

Hinata turned to the voice calling her name. The doll instantly stopped its attack and walked to its original position. Hinata watched it leave. "I'm lucky Arashi-shishō designed that thing to stop when training is interrupted." She turned back to the stairs. "Is that you Neji-nii-san?"

The person Hinata expected walked down the stairs. "Hai Hinata-sama. I've heard that you returned recently. I looked around for you, but could only find Naruto. Since he didn't know, I thought that you could be here."

"Why did you think Naruto-kun knew where I was?"

"You have been successful in getting close to him recently. Since you weren't with him, I figured you'd be with your other important person." He looked around a bit. "I do not see Arashi-san around."

Hinata chuckled. "He decided to go to Kirigakure. Just another one of his random decisions."

"I see. That shishō of your's never stops causing you trouble. Just being near that man for more than an hour was difficult for me. You can handle any stress now."

Hinata headed for the nearest chair and sat in it. "I'm not so sure about that Nii-san. I found out something really … unnerving."

Neji sat down next to her. "Naruto~?"

She looked at him in surprise. "How could you know?"

"I know you better than you think Hinata-sama. I even know what about Naruto has you bothered so much."

She looked back at the ground. "I don't think that you do Nii-san."

"The Kyubi"

Hinata looked at him in complete surprise. "How did…"

"Naruto was the first person I've experienced a real defeat against. The thing about that match I always remembered was a special red chakra he had. It seamed alive. At times when I had nothing else to do, I would research chakra and Naruto just to find out what that was. After looking into his birth day, the idea of it first came to mind. I still had some doubt, but then I remembered the shape that red chakra took when Naruto summoned it. It looked exactly like the Kyubi's face."

Hinata looked towards the ground. "Oh. So you figured it out on your own." She looked her cousin in the eyes. "How did it make you feel?"

"I was surprised at first. Someone that I knew and trusted was keeping one of the biggest secrets possible from us. I think it was somewhat fortunate that you were also away at the time. If I saw you frequently, I may have been unable to think of anything but of how you would want to spend your life with him. I was able to spend plenty time thinking clearly." Hinata let out a noticeable sigh. "Is something wrong Hinata-sama?"

She shook her head. "It's like everyone knows what I want. It can be a little frustrating. I don't' have any privacy for my feelings."

Neji chuckled. "It's hard to have privacy with an open door."

"Do you have to describe me as being that easy to read?"

"Hai, but we have digressed enough. I would like to talk about what is bothering you right now. Could you be scared of the Kyubi?"

Hinata shook her head. "That's not it Nii-san. I already know three other people with demons like the Kyubi sealed inside of them. I have come to trust every one of them."

"Then what is the matter Hinata-sama."

Hinata sighed once. "It's Naruto-kun's future I'm worried about. The simple truth is that he has more power than anyone else in this village. Soon, everyone will be expecting a lot from him. I will never be able to reach his world." Neji chuckled continuously, to Hinata's irritation. "What's so funny?"

"I would have never thought it possible for you to show such a blatant form of selfishness."

She couldn't believe what Neji said. "ARE YOU CALLING ME SELFISH?"

Neji chuckled once again. "Not as much as you make it sound. This may be a case where you should be more like Naruto is. You are thinking too much. Try to do as much thinking as he does."

Hinata glared at him. "Don't call Naruto-kun stupid."

"I never said that Hinata-sama. Naruto is someone who does not think about something as much as most shinobi would. It seems to work for him. You should follow his example rather than thinking about this too much."

Hinata closed her eyes and smiled. "I think you're right Nii-san."

Neji's expression turned serious. "There is a more important reason that I have been looking for you. Since a few days before you left to attend the chunin exams, Hiashi-sama has been very silent. Many members of the clan have been worried about him greatly."

Hinata's expression turned solemn. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to see Otou-san. The last thing I said to him was that Arashi-shishō was a better father than he was."

"Hinata-sama!"

The surprise in Neji's voice caught her attention. "What is it Nii-san?"

"Did you hear yourself just now?"

Hinata shook her head. "What did I say?"

"For a long time now, you have addressed Hiashi-sama as Otou-sama. Just now, you said Otou-san."

Hinata's eyes widened for a second before relaxing slowly. "You're right. Otou-san used to be the only father figure in my life. Now Arashi-shishō managed to take that role. My life has become so confusing since him. Now that I've found out about Naruto-kun, it's even more confusing."

"You are thinking again Hinata-sama. Do not think of things as if they are fated to happen. I know that you are strong enough to take control."

Hinata smiled and nodded. "You're right Nii-san. Naruto-kun isn't dangerous. I know that. I'm sure that even without the village sending him into dangerous missions; Naruto-kun will find his own danger."

Neji smiled nervously. "I'm afraid you may be too right on that one Hinata-sama. Naruto-san has been known to get himself into trouble by pure chance alone. It's made only worse by how he tends to dive headfirst into things."

Hinata smiled softly and lowered her gaze. "Hai, but it always works out in the end."

"I agree." Neji stood up from his seat. "We should return home. It is getting late."

Hinata shook her head. "I'll stay here."

Neji nodded stoically. "As you wish Hinata-sama." He walked up the stairs calmly.

Hinata stood up from her chair and headed straight for the training dummy. With one strike, the fight began once again. She continued to train for a short while before going to sleep on the bed Arashi had prepared for her behind a screened room.

In the darkness, Hinata opened her eyes slowly. They widened as she saw a bright white dot. It then began to spiral outward clockwise twice. Four connected illegible scribbles developed above the spiral. At the same time, four exactly like them developed below the spiral. Tiny pieces of the white symbol beamed into Hinata sporadically. Her back arched at the indescribable sensation. When it ended, half of the illegible writings disappeared and the ones that remained were at the corners around the spiral; which looked like before except the lines were half as thick. When she looked at her belly, she could see the exact same symbol fading into her.

Hinata sprang up from her bed in a cold sweat. Her mouth began to dry from rapid breathing. One final breath helped her calm down. She looked around to see herself on the bed in Arashi's basement. She let out a sigh. "Just a dream."

She swung her legs off the side and quickly prepared herself for the day. She walked out of the door and looked up at the sky. "I need to find Naruto-kun soon and straiten things out. There's no telling how I made him feel."

Hinata prepared to leap to the roofs. "Hinata-san~, wait~!"

Hinata stopped and looked over to see Shizune approaching. Hinata waited for her to approach. "Is something wrong Shizune-san?"

"Tsunade-sama has requested you for a mission. She needs you to come soon as possible."

Hinata's expression became hesitant. "Hai. Looks like Naruto-kun has to wait."

Hinata quickly made her way to the Hokage's tower as Shizune went a different direction. "Could this be about that scroll I noticed yesterday?"

Hinata stopped at the foot of the Hokage's tower and repeated the ever repetitive trek up to the Hokage's office. She opened the door and presented herself to the village matriarch. "You asked for me Hokage-sama."

"Hai. I'm glad you could come so quickly Hinata."

Hinata quickly noticed a scroll very similar to the one she saw the day before. "That's weird. I could have sworn it had a glowing red band too."

"I see that you are looking at this scroll." She turned her attention back onto Tsunade. "You must have noticed that it is the same scroll you asked about yesterday."

"It is~? But that scroll looks different from before."

Tsunade interlocked her fingers just below her nose and placed her elbows on the desk. "If Shizune has already found the other person I asked for, then it should return to the appearance you saw soon." No sooner than she finished that sentence, Tsunade noticed the red band starting to appear. "Speak of the devil."

Hinata blinked. "What's that supposed to mean. Is someone else coming?" She looked back at the door.

Both females jumped in surprise when the windows swung open. "Please~ Naruto-kun, use the front entrance."

Naruto looked back at Shizune. "But this is much faster."

Anger ticks appeared on Tsunade's forehead. "Just come in, NOW!" Naruto flinched and did as he was told. In his melancholy, he failed to notice Hinata's presence as he stood half a meter to her side. "I know that you have just become chunin, but I have a special mission for you. Even I don't know too much about this, but I can tell you that we've had this mission scroll before the Yondaime Hokage was even Hokage."

Naruto became excited instantly. "AWESOME! IS THIS SOME KIND OF SUPPER SECRET S-RANK!"

"I don't think that's the case Naruto. If this mission was taken on the time we received it, I could say it is S-ranked. As of now, I'd say it's between B and A-ranked."

Naruto demonstrated disappointment before switching on a smile. "Whatever. It's still has a high rank."

"You two are the only ones I can count on for this mission."

Naruto blinked twice. "Two~?" He looked to his right and saw Hinata. "Oh … I didn't see you there Hinata-chan."

Sweat formed on the back of her head. "How couldn't you." She looked at the bottom of Tsunade's desk. "This is a perfect chance to tell Naruto-kun what I came up with. Arashi-shishō told me I should clear up potential misunderstandings as quickly as possible."

"I need to explain some details of this mission. The scroll says that the two who the scroll reacts too must tear off a piece of the scroll from the colored bands and place it in their palms. This will lead you to the client for this mission. The mission is complete when you receive the reward from the client."

Hinata lowered her gaze nervously. "Excuse me Hokage-sama, but isn't this mission a little suspicious."

"I thought so myself Hinata. The scrolls description even says so. One reason I'm less suspicious is that the scroll specifically states that the pair in question can have as many people with them as deemed necessary. The reason I don't take advantage is because I know that the both of you are extraordinarily strong. I don't know how long this mission will put you out of the village, but it shouldn't be longer than two weeks. I don't know what the reward is, but both the scroll and information left behind by Yondaime himself says that Iwa went to great lengths to keep whatever the item in question is. Do you accept this mission?"

"Hai."

"Good. I'm glad you two are together on this. Take this scroll and leave as soon as you're packed."

Naruto grabbed the scroll with a smile. "I'm raring to go. I haven't even had a chance to unpack." He turned toward Hinata. "What about you Hinata-chan."

"Uh~ me neither."

"Great. Lets see who gets to the gate first." He quickly jumped out the window.

Hinata just watched in shock. "It's like yesterday didn't even happen for him." She slowly left the building. "Did it happen, or was it just a dream." She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I'll ask him later."

* * *

**Not much to say here.**

**Next Chapter: Bracelets.**


	70. Sacred Aspects: Chapter 70

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. Moments after leaving the Hokage's tower, Naruto caught up with Hinata. He tried talking to her, but she asked him to leave her alone so she could think things over. She made her way to Arashi's home and went into the basement. There she trained with one of the dummies for an undetermined amount of time. Neji then interrupted the training to speak with Hinata. Their conversation centered on Hinata needing to relax and not think about the Kyubi too much. After she finally agreed with him, Neji left Hinata alone. She continued training until night. In the night, she had a strange dream of an unknown symbol splitting into two parts, with one part appearing on her. The next morning, she and Naruto were summoned to the Hokage's office. They received a mysterious mission with unusual directions and an unknown reward. Despite this, both accepted the mission with little hesitation.)

* * *

**I am totally freaking out thanks to the Naruto manga, chapter 510. Just one thing Madara said at the end of the chapter gave me an idea that was absolutely perfect for my story. The original ending I had planed has been balled up, thrown in the trash, incinerated, and then scattered to the winds. That's how good I think the new ending is. The best part is that not a single word in my story interferes with this idea.**

**I also had to change the chapter's name because of this new ending. The new chapter name is much better anyways.**

**9-26-10**

**Sacred Aspects**

Hinata quickly made her way back to Arashi's home to get the scroll in which all of her mission needs were stored. It only took a second for her to run through the door, down the stairs, grab the scroll, and then back up. "I can't believe Naruto-kun asked for a race again. I really have to ask him if he really did tell me he was the Kyubi's jinchuriki."

She bolted between buildings at top speed. The moment she arrived, she saw Naruto sitting in the middle of the area while eating a cup of steaming ramen. He gave her a quick wave. "Hey Hinata-chan."

Her shoulders slumped in lack of belief of what she was seeing. "How~. My mental clock tells me I got here in 48 seconds, give-or-take. There's no way Naruto-kun could prepare a cup of ramen, even if it is instant."

He ate a bite of the meal with a sour expression. "Why'd Shizune-nee-chan have to pull me away during breakfast? My ramen is all soggy."

Hinata chuckled with a nervous expression. "That makes sense. Even Naruto-kun couldn't break the laws of nature."

He stood up as he slurped away the last of the noodles. "Let's go Hinata-chan. I can't wait to get started on this mission." Naruto walked leisurely towards the gate.

Hinata's eyes started twitching. "That's enough. Stop right there!" Naruto stopped in place and slowly turned around with a worried expression. The look Hinata gave him was much like the one Sakura has given him when angry, but Hinata's was more controlled. Hinata walked up to Naruto purposely. "What gives Naruto-kun? I know that I didn't imagine what you told me yesterday, but you're acting like nothing happened!" Beads of tears started to form despite her angry expression. "Does what I think of you matter so little to you?"

Naruto's eyes widened. He immediately began trying to placate her. "It's not like that Hinata-chan. I just decided not to worry about what you'd think." Hinata's expression blanked completely. The moment her tears started to flow, Naruto realized his mistake. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that. It's like; I didn't have to worry about it."

She went into an expression between sad an irritated. "What's that mean?"

Naruto smiled his usual way. "You're a nice person Hinata-chan. I figured you'd accept me, so I decided not to worry about it."

Hinata's expression softened. "S-so you never doubted that I would a-accept you."

Naruto's smile grew. "Nope."

Hinata walked closer to him and wiped her tears. Without warning, she suddenly poked him in the chest. "Don't make me worry like that again!"

Naruto nodded nervously. "Hai."

She nodded in response and continued walking. With Naruto at her back, Hinata blushed a fair bit. "I just demanded~ something out of Naruto-kun. I never thought I could be so forceful with him in my life. I can hardly understand myself anymore. Even with my frustration, I really wanted to kiss him. That would have been too embarrassing." She looked up to see what was a frightening sight, for the particular moment. "I forget he was right behind us."

The white haired medical shinobi walked up to them. Just by the look in his eyes, Hinata could tell that he saw every bit of the previous exchange. "Hello Hinata-san, Naruto-kun. I'm surprised to see the both of you already heading out. This must be some mission to warrant sending out two fresh chunin."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Kabuto. "Leave us alone."

He smirked at the blond. "And here I was thinking we got over our past. Shouldn't you two be offering me a chance to join?"

"Baa-chan said that we are fine on our own."

"You sure. You should have a medic with you in case some of the dangerous people after come along Naruto-kun."

Hinata's eyes widened slightly in realization. "Are you talking about Akatsuki?"

Kabuto quirked an eyebrow. "So that's what that scene was about. You told Hinata-san what you have sealed away within." He took the fact that Hinata was not preparing to question him as a yes. "And here I was thinking of something else entirely being behind it."

Naruto narrowed his eyes further. "Like what?"

Kabuto smirked. "I wonder how long I can keep Naruto-kun in the dark. I was thinking that the two of you made woopie"

Naruto looked at him suspiciously. "What's that mean?"

Hinata understood Kabuto perfectly, and blushed as a result. Kabuto noticed but maintained his expression. "You know … wahoo, yippee, yahoo; the bed bump."

"You're not making any sense Kabuto."

"Now for the coup-de-grace. Perhaps I should tell you straight out. I was thinking that you two …"

"We-should-go!" Naruto turned to Hinata, who was fighting of one of one of the strongest blushes she's had in a while. "We shouldn't waste any time like this. I'm really anxious to get started."

Naruto smiled. "Sure Hinata-chan. I'm getting sick of him." He walked on to the gate.

As soon as he passed Hinata, she glared at Kabuto. "The last thing I need is for you~ to make this mission more awkward than I already know it will be."

Kabuto only smirked at her. "I knew you'd interrupt me. It was enjoyable." He turned around and headed back into the village.

Hinata turned around and followed after Naruto. "He's worse than Arashi-shishō."

Naruto stopped just outside of the village gate. He then pulled out the scroll. Like before, both sides glowed dark blue and bright red. He looked at the scroll questioningly. "So we have to tear off a piece of the glowing parts and put it on our hands." Naruto tore off a fairly large piece of the dark blue band. The moment the piece was separated from the whole scroll, it began looking like regular paper. "Whoa, weird." He put the piece into the palm of his free hand. They waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened.

A gust of wind blew in, causing the paper to be blown off. Hinata reacted instantly. "I got it." She grabbed the piece before it could even fall below Naruto's hand.

It began glowing all over again. "It's glowing again. What did you do Hinata-chan?"

"I don't think I did~ anything." She suddenly recalled how the red part only started glowing when Naruto was about to appear. "I think the blue part is mine." Hinata placed the paper on her left palm. A moment later, the piece of paper flattened onto her skin. "It feels a bit heavy."

Naruto blinked. "Really, it wasn't that heavy for me."

"Try a red piece."

"Okay." Naruto tore off a red piece. Unlike before, it did not lose its glow. He then put it into his right palm. It flattened. "Your right. It is heavy." The scroll suddenly stopped glowing.

Hinata looked at it carefully. "This is getting really weird. I don't even know what to do next."

"Let's read it." Naruto opened the scroll. He read through quickly until finding directions. "_The two chosen must place a piece of their color on their palms. When they bear the weight together, they will be drawn towards me._ What's that mean Hinata-chan?"

Hinata blushed. "We have to hold hands."

Naruto only blushed slightly. "Okay." He reached out his right hand. Hinata reached out with her left hand and grasped Naruto's hand. The effect was instant as they felt some kind of invisible force seeming to push their hands in the same direction. "This keeps getting weirder and weirder Hinata-chan."

"Hai~. I'll have to hold Naruto-kun's hand through this whole mission."

Naruto released her hand. "Let's go Hinata-chan." He ran off full speed in the direction they felt their hands being pushed to.

Hinata quickly followed while looking down. "I guess we really don't have to hold hand's all the time. I shouldn't be getting excited so easily. We did~ kiss before." Her face reddened. "I'm not even used to _that_ idea."

The pair ran quickly through the paths, trees, and hills that they were being led through. They only held hands periodically to confirm the direction they needed to head in. They ran through two eventless days, doing little more than small talk and camping along the way. As they traveled along a path in mid-day, Naruto began to recognize it. As a small lake and waterfall came into view, Naruto jumped out into the path. Hinata turned to him. "Naruto-kun!" In her distraction, she tripped over a branch that was previously out of view.

Naruto took notice of Hinata's blunder. "HINATA-CHAN!" Hinata rotated mid-air, placing her right leg on a thick branch directly above her. She then kicked off, performing a front flip and landing right in front of a very shocked Naruto. Hinata slowly stood up to Naruto's jaw-dropped expression. After a few seconds of him being frozen like that, Hinata started getting a little embarrassed. She showed her embarrassment by looking down and pulling on one of the tufts of hair framing her face. Naruto blushed a bit. "Kawaii~."

"Um~, you're staring Naruto-kun."

Naruto shook his head then started rubbing the back of his head while smiling. "That was really amazing Hinata-chan. I would have slammed my face into a tree or something."

Hinata chuckled as she imagined Naruto doing that very thing. "You know, Arashi-shishō actually did that once before."

This surprised Naruto. "Really." Naruto chuckled. "So he isn't that special after all."

Hinata laughed nervously. "Well~~, he did it on purpose."

Naruto's expression switch from happy to confused. "Why would he do that?"

Hinata averted her eyes as if she was embarrassed by the reason. "Arashi-shishō decided that he wanted to slam himself into a tree and thought '_why not scare the wits out of Hinata while I'm at it._' It started with him saying that he'll seriously leave me behind. The moment he sped off, he tripped~ and slammed through three really big trees face first. I saw him lying on the ground motionlessly with blood all over his head. As I freaked out, he rose up like the living dead. I never screamed so loudly in my life. The blood turned out to be fake and Arashi-shishō teased me about it for a month."

Naruto laughed nervously. "You really have to tell me all the things he did to you." Naruto smiled and pumped his fists. "I'll get him back for you."

Hinata smiled, blushed, and shook her head no. "You don't have to do that Naruto-kun. That kind of thing is what my relationship with Arashi-shishō is made from." Hinata looked up into Naruto's eyes. "By the way … why did you stop Naruto-kun?"

"Oh, right." Naruto turned around and looked at the waterfall. "I remember having a mission here with the old Team Seven."

Hinata took on a somber expression. "Back before Sasuke-san left."

This saddened Naruto, but he hid it. "Yeah. This was actually the last real mission that we had together."

Hinata placed a hand tentatively on Naruto's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Naruto looked back at her and smiled. "Why do you think that I'm not okay? I'm fine."

Hinata looked Naruto directly in the eyes. "I know that you're faking Naruto-kun."

"Huh." He chuckled nervously. "Faking what."

She lowered her gaze. "I know this may sound weird, but I have watched you a lot. From the beginning, I could tell if your smiles were fake or not. I could always tell when you were sad, and it always made me sad as I watched you force a smile."

Naruto looked at Hinata with a somber expression. "I had no idea."

A figure stepped toward them. "It is time to reveal myself completely. I apologize for interrupting this touching moment." In an instant, Hinata stepped forward to face the source of the unexpected voice. The person she saw was an elderly looking man with piercing eyes. He had short spiky grey hair and a thin mustache that was unusually long. "I truly wonder what it is about me that puts others on edge so easily."

Naruto pointed at him in surprise. "IT'S YOU … UDEWA!"

The elderly figure chuckled. "At least you managed a synonym for my name. It is Udekazari Uzumaki-dono."

Hinata relaxed. "Do you know him Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah. He popped out of nowhere when you're shishō was teaching me."

"I do that often Uzumaki-dono."

Naruto looked at the man suspiciously. "Why in the world are you calling me that."

"I am merely addressing you in the way that I wish to. It is the same as with Hyuga-dono."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Come on Hinata-chan, we have a mission to do." Naruto reached out his hand, which Hinata reciprocated. "This way." Naruto ran right past Udekazari. He stopped a second later after noticing that Hinata was not following him. "What's wrong Hinata-chan?"

Udekazari looked Hinata in the eyes with a playful twinkle in his own eyes. "Please allow me." Udekazari turned to face Naruto. "Will you please show me the scroll with the details of your mission?" Naruto pulled out the scroll despite his continued suspicion. Udekazari held out the palm of his hand. Without warning, the scroll broke into tiny blue and red particles. These particles quickly flew into his open palm.

This freaked Naruto out completely. "W-WHAT WAS THAT?"

"I merely took back what was mine Uzumaki-dono."

"What's that mean?"

"Naruto-kun, I think he is our client."

Naruto looked at her an instant before staring at Udekazari for a while. "EH~~~!"

"Please calm yourself Uzumaki-dono." He let out a sigh. "Honestly, I was doubtful of your lineage because you do not look the part, but your personality is as much Uzumaki as I've ever seen."

Naruto froze in place and his eyes widened slowly. "What do you mean?"

"I will say that I am very familiar with the ancestry of both of your clans. I would explain further, but I wish to give to you the items that were promised in the scroll. Will the two of you please present yourselves to me?" Hinata walked past Udekazari while Naruto simply walked forward. He held up his wrists, showing off a pair of bracelets. On his left forearm was a bracelet with a dark blue color and a deeper blue gem right in the middle. The right was exactly the same except it was red. "I am certain you understand which bracelet you should take."

The pair nodded. Naruto grabbed hold of the red bracelet as Hinata took hold of the blue one. The moment they pulled on the trinkets, they passed straight through the man's arm, much to the surprise of both. Hinata even jumped back. "How-did-you-do-that?"

"I plan to explain as much as necessary, but I require that you put those on. Once you do, I will know what I will need to tell you without asking."

Naruto looked at him skeptically, but slid his hand through the bracelet neither less. Hinata followed an instant later. To her surprise, the bracelet shrunk to match her size. "It's just like Arashi-shishō's clothes." She looked up at Udekazari, who seamed frozen in place. "Udekazari-san, are you okay?"

The elderly looking man trembled violently with very wide eyes. Hinata tried to touch him to rekindle his senses, but her hand passed through him. "I am starting to understand now. I know from the start that they carried a sacred aspect from their names; but it is more surprising that they contain another sacred aspect hidden within their ancestry. They also share a strong connection. It is no wonder they are chosen."

"JIJI!"

Udekazari returned to his senses. "Apologies. I was taking in information from you through the bracelets. I will now explain all I can. Uzumaki, Senju, Hyuga, and the elusive Konsetsu. I never thought that four of the sacred aspects of my creator would come before me. This could be the very reason I was created."

**Hidden Akatsuki hideout.**

Over the days of draining the Sanbi, the Biju's body shrunk drastically. Moment's later; it was pulled towards the nine-eyed statue's mouth through a thick stream of chakra. As soon as the Sanbi disappeared into the mouth, the pupil of one of the eyes appeared. The hologram of Pein relaxed his hand-seal. "We are fortunate the Sanbi was without a host or this would have taken longer than three days."

Kisame chuckled. "No kidding. It takes a lot longer with so many members missing."

Pein looked directly at the shark-like shinobi. "You must act soon in order to retrieve the Nanabi Kisame. It should be in Takigakure at this time."

He smiled a wide toothy grin. "I'll be back soon."

"No. You must rest and recover your energy."

Kisame smirked. "Right boss. I'll have it in tomorrow."

Pein nodded and Sasori looked the hologram in the eyes. "Don't be late."

"Don't wait up puppet boy." Kisame disappeared.

Sasori growled before disappearing. "WAIT UP SASORI-SEMPAI~~!"

The rest of the members disappeared at once, excluding Pein. "I have a bad feeling about the Nanabi."

* * *

**Hello. I put in some really good information in this story. This information is based on what I managed to figure out from manga chapter 510 of Naruto. Can anyone else figure out what I am going for with the _sacred aspects_?**

**Next Chapter: Kisame**


	71. Kisame: Chapter 71

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character while still being inside of the mind of the character that paragraph focuses on. This also applies for mental communication between Naruto and Hinata._

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. Hinata quickly collects her things and gets to the village gate. When she arrives, she finds Naruto eating a cup of instant ramen. They enter a short argument on how Naruto ignored the fact that he recently told Hinata about the Kyubi. After coming to an understanding, they begin leaving the village, only to run into Kabuto. He wastes no time in talking to them and trying to embarrass Hinata and annoy Naruto all at once. After exiting the village, they prepare the pieces of the scroll, figuring out which color is theirs on the way. Over the next few days, they find their way to an area that Naruto recognizes as being near Takigakure. As he talks about the mission he had there with team seven, Hinata takes a strong notice of his emotional state. They are then interrupted by the elderly Udekazari, who reveals himself to the mission's client. When they put on the bracelets on his arms, he realizes something important about Naruto and Hinata. Meanwhile, Akatsuki finishes draining the Sanbi's chakra. With that, Kisame is sent after the Nanabi.)

* * *

**(Excuse me while I gloat/rant.) Chapter 512, page 3 of the Naruto manga; I TOTALLY CALLED IT! Kumogakure is confirmed to have the Owl summoning contract, or at least makes use of them. I thought that up about a year ago. That's two predictions. The first was me realizing that the attribute for lightning chakra was vibration before that info was released in the manga. Now I'm waiting for the prediction I made in the previous chapter I wrote to come true.**

**PS: I made a slight change to the information on how I write above. I would like some feedback on how it works on this chapter.  
**

**10-10-10**

**Kisame**

Udekazari looked into the waiting eyes of Naruto and Hinata. "The first thing I should explain is that I'm not exactly what you would call human. I am somewhat of a phantasm if you will."

Naruto immediately ducked behind Hinata. "Y-y-y-y-you're a g-g-g-ghost."

Udekazari quirked an eyebrow. "Certainly not. A ghost is the lingering feelings of a human spirit. I have never been human."

This confused Hinata. "How is that possible Udekazari-san?"

Udekazari lowered his gaze. "Have you heard of the Sage of Six Paths?" Hinata's eyes widened.

Naruto however, had no clue. "Who's that?"

Udekazari spoke without missing a beat. "The Sage of Six Paths was the world's first shinobi. He was the one who introduced ninjutsu into the world and was the greatest shinobi to ever exist."

Naruto stopped hiding behind Hinata and stood beside her. "He sounds like a real big shot."

Hinata glanced over to Naruto. "I shouldn't be surprised that Naruto-kun doesn't know about the Sage of Six Paths. He's never paid attention to things like that." She turned her attention back to Udekazari. "What does the Sage have to do with you Udekazari-san?"

"I am his final creation, just days before his death."

This information hit Hinata like a ton of bricks. Naruto was unfazed however. "How old~ are you?"

Udekazari shook his head. "Counting the years would drive one insane. I have seen the birth of many things, including that of all your clans."

Hinata broke free from her stupor. "Are you saying that you knew the first Hyuga?"

Udekazari nodded. "Hai, that is part of what I am saying. The first to posses the Byakugan was a very shrewd woman. She had very little faith in the ability of people to lead their own lives. In her eyes, there would be no structure without clear dominance. I am sure that you can see aspects of this belief within the organization of your clan Hinata-dono up to this very day."

Hinata looked at the ground sadly. "He's right. That sounds just like the cursed-seal system we use." She blinked a few time. "Um, why did you call me by my name just now?"

"I feel that calling the both of you by your family names will not fully represent either of you. … Hinata-dono, what is your mother's name?"

Naruto glared at him. "What's that got to do with anything?"

Udekazari returned the glare with a piercing gaze. "A lot." He turned his attention back on Hinata. "I wish to hear your mother's original family name if you please."

Hinata lowered her gaze. "Her name was Hiromi Konsetsu."

Udekazari smiled thoughtfully. "As I thought. It is quite the blessing that you took on your mother's traits. I can see in your eyes that you have great compassion and empathy for those around you. I can confidently say that when you were young, your mother always knew what was troubling you."

Hinata started to tear up. "How … how do you know that?"

Udekazari prepared to speak, but stopped suddenly. "It appears we have company. Answers will have to wait." He turned to face a group of trees and bushes near the waterfall. "You can reveal yourself miss."

After a few seconds, a female walked out of the bush, looking about the same age as Naruto and Hinata. She had mint green hair with an orange hair clip matching her orange eyes. Her skin was significantly tanned. She wore white sleeves that started just above her elbow and went down to her wrists, with a Takigakure headband wrapped around the upper part of the right sleeve. She also wore a seamless white vest that just covers the area under her flat chest with fishnet armor extending a few inches down. Below her heavily exposed mid-drift, she wore a very short white skirt split at the sides with fishnet shorts underneath. Even her shinobi sandals were white. As a major contrast, she had a large cylindrical object strapped to her back and wrapped in bright red cloth.

She glared at the group fiercely. "What are you doing here?"

Udekazari smiled at her lightly. "I know we are intruding on the area of your village, but you seem to have intruded on our conversation. It is very private I'll have you know."

She dashed forward and placed a kunai to his neck. "You should be careful old man."

He smirked at her. "I would say the same to you young miss." He made a gesture upwards.

She looked up to see a kunai forming above her. Just as she backed away, the kunai fell to the ground and pierced it. An instant later, it split apart into blue and red particles that Udekazari absorbed into his hand. She looked up at Udekazari in shock. "WHAT WAS THAT?"

"That is my one and only ability. I can create any physical object I can imagine at will. This object will also have all the attributes I imagine as well; however, I am severely limited to a certain amount of mass I can create at once. In order to create something new, I must reabsorb what I have previously created. It is a very weak form of my creator's ultimate jutsu, Izanagi. The major weakness is that once I create an object, I cannot interact with it physically."

She furrowed her brow greatly. "Enough. I suggest you leave before I get angry."

Udekazari only continued smiling. "And what will you do Nanabi jinchuriki-chan."

The eyes of all three there widened. The girl's eyes wavered intensely. "H-how … do you know that?"

Udekazari held out his hand and pointed at her. "I can sense the creature's very essence within you."

"ENOUGH!" She dashed forward and tried to kick Udekazari. Her eyes widened when her kick passed through unhindered. It took her some seconds to collect her thoughts. "What are you?"

Udekazari smiled for a second before developing a serious gaze. "I would tell you, but there is no time." He started looking past her. "I am sensing a malevolent presence nearby." He turned around to face Naruto and Hinata. "Naruto-dono, Hinata-dono, I must explain the abilities those bracelets grant you. The both of you are invisibly connected. By wanting to, you can transfer your thoughts to the other. Chakra and even your physical states such as health and injury can be shared. I will serve as the filter, making sure something undesired isn't transfered." An instant later, Udekazari himself broke up into blue and red particles. The particles of each color split up and flew into the bracelet of matching color.

Naruto began yelling into his new bracelet. "HEY JIJI! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WHO'S COMING? _Calm down Naruto-kun._" His eyes widened. "Hey, was that you Hinata-chan?" Hinata nodded. "_Udekazari-san did say that we could communicate mentally. I can really feel my thoughts being transferred to you._ Wow Hinata-chan. You figured it out really fast."

She looked down and blushed a bit. "Arigato." She turned her attention ahead and formed a single hand-seal. "Byakugan!" With her eyes activated, Hinata quickly scanned the horizon. Just beyond the edge of the horizon, she noticed someone walking towards them. The most striking features were a massive weapon wrapped in bandages with the hilt sticking out and the cloak he was wearing. "_Who is it Hinata-chan?_" Hinata's expression turned gravely serious. "Akatsuki." Naruto quickly matched her expression.

The orange eyed girl became fed up with the secrecy of the situation. "What's going on here? What in the world is this Akatsuki?" Naruto and Hinata looked at each other and shared the same thought. "Fine then. I'll take care of the guy you're so scared off then I'm coming back for you." An instant later, she ran straight down the path.

Naruto reached his hand out. "STOP! _We have to stop her._" He nodded to Hinata and sent an agreeing thought. They ran after the unknown Taki shinobi. Both of them were plenty fast enough to catch up, but the distance was too short. By time they did catch up, they were in clear view of the Akatsuki member. Naruto quickly recognized him and narrowed his eyes. "It's you."

The blue skinned man grinned with his sharp teeth and chuckled. "Well~~, if it isn't Kyubi-kun. Today's my lucky day. I'm a little low on chakra right now so I'll be taking all of yours now." He slowly grabbed the hilt of the large object on his back.

The Takigakure kunoichi glared at him. "You're crazy if you think that I'm going to give you my chakra." She quickly formed some hand-seals. "Hidden Waterfall Style: Water Slicing Blade." Water began to form in her hand from the air into the shape of a sword.

The bandages covering the large weapon seemed to explode off the tip of the weapon as the man attacked. The kunoichi acted to counter the massive weapon with her aquatic blade. "WATCH OUT!" Hinata tackled the kunoichi from the side just as her improvised weapon splattered onto the ground. "_What are you doing Hinata-chan? He's dangerous?_"

She looked him in the eyes. "_There wasn't any time to think Naruto-kun._"

Hinata stood up and looked the man in the eyes. "You're Kisame Hoshigaki, aren't you?"

He chuckled. "I'm honored. You know my name. I feel bad for not knowing who _you _are."

"Arashi-shishō told me everything he could about you. He knew that I would fight against Akatsuki members in the future. He only knew about two most of the time, you and Itachi-san."

Kisame grinned a bit. "Arashi-shishō?" His grin grew wider. "Now I know you. You're that Hyuga girl who's that Arashi character's student. Sasori even said that you killed Deidara. I went out of my way to see the damage you caused." He licked his lips. "I am going to enjoy this." He brought his sword down with frightening speed and force.

Hinata closed the distance, slipping slightly to the side. She then turned her attention to the sword, landing a heavy blow to a still bandaged section one-third of the distance from the hilt. This redirected the sword enough so that it didn't hit the green haired kunoichi on the ground, causing a fairly large crater instead. The female jinchuriki looked at the blade with widened eyes. "That almost hit me." She then turned her attention to Hinata. "If she dodged it, I would have been hit."

Kisame leaned his weight on his sword and let loose a strong side kick. Hinata blocked the blow with her arms and flew back in an uncontrollable manner. As she flew to a tree at high speed, Hinata changed her position mid-air, just barely slamming her head against it. As she passed another tree, she kicked off to a higher branch which she grabbed to slow down and reverse her direction. Her arc of movement brought her landing just a few meters in front of Kisame.

The blue skinned Akatsuki member watched this with widened eyes. After a second, he smiled and chuckled as Hinata took her fighting stance. "Amazing. I'd go so far as to say that this girl is more dexterous than even Itachi was." He licked his lips again. "My blood is starting to boil." The scales on his sword started to rub against each other. "Gomen Samehada. I hope you don't mind having dessert first." He pulled Samehada out of the ground and focused his attention solely on Hinata.

"HINATA, LET ME FIGHT HIM! YOU GET OUT OF HERE!" Naruto's eyes widened as Hinata's thought entered his head. "_No Naruto-kun. Arashi-shish__ō__ told me all about him and his sword. His sword is surrounded by an extremely dense and thick layer of water elemental chakra a lot like Arashi-shish__ō__'s Chakra Screen Jutsu. Any and all chakra that get's near will be forced into the sword. Someone like you who relies on chakra heavy jutsu can't fight him._"

Kisame grinned as he attacked the ever evasive Hinata. After an attack to her legs, which she jumped over, Kisame rested Samehada on his shoulder. "I'm having some _real_ fun fighting you girly. Opponents that rely on big flashy jutsu get boring after a while. Skillful foes are much more challenging." He chuckled as he noticed Hinata panting a bit. "Still~, you're chakra levels are lacking."

Hinata narrowed her eyes a bit. "He's right. If I can't keep his sword from sucking out my chakra, I'm going to drop from chakra exhaustion. If I could just keep my chakra trapped in my body." Her eyes widened. "That's it." She began forming a hand-seal that was most familiar to the one she admires. Before she could call out the jutsu's name, Kisame resumes his attack. Hinata continued dodging the attacks with relative ease with a frustrated expression. "This won't work. I need enough time."

In the background, the white clad jinchuriki began getting annoyed. "I have had enough of this. I don't need these two protecting me. If this guy wants a jinchuriki, then I'll give him one." Within seconds, she was surrounded by a greenish yellow field of chakra. Some of the chakra formed a large horn over her head and a thin tail that tapered of sharply. Without thinking, she attacked Kisame directly.

Kisame had no trouble sensing the attack. He turned his attention around and placed Samehada between himself and the attacker. "Too easy." He pushed her away before slicing the air in front of her.

As he did this, all the demonic chakra disappeared instantly to her surprise. "What … happened? My chakra … it's gone." Kisame took a step forward, preparing to attack her directly.

An instant later, Naruto was between him and her. "Mubyoshi!" Naruto's fist connected with Samehada with unprecedented force. The shockwaves shook the leaves off trees surrounding them before Samehada was sent flying out of Kisame's hands.

Kisame's eyes widened. "Such strength. No one's ever knocked Samehada out of my hands."

Hinata narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Now's my chance. Arigato Naruto-kun." She could feel her thought being transferred to him. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." A single clone formed next to her. "You know what to do."

When Kisame turned around, he saw two Hinata behind him. "What's she up to." In the next moment, one began poking the other rapidly. It was over in seconds, with the one who was attacked appearing to be in significant pain. After a few seconds of examining, he started laughing. "I've seen desperation, but never someone attacking their self. Are you sure your head is on right girly."

Hinata panted heavily. "He's right. I should have noticed that Naruto-kun knocked his sword away." After some breathing, Hinata managed to bring her bodily systems under control. "I can still fight without my chakra." She chuckled a bit. "I wish I had this kind of skill and confidence when I fought Neji-nii-san in the chunin exams."

Kisame quickly formed a string of hand-seals. "Water Style: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu." The water in the nearby waterfall formed pond spawned a shark made completely out of water. This shark shot towards Hinata rapidly.

She and her clone dodged it with split second timing. "GIANT RASENGAN!" Kisame turned around to find Naruto hitting him in the side with a large ball of spiraling chakra. The result of the attack sent him flying back.

Kisame chuckled and coughed as he slid against the ground. "I don't think I can take my attention off either of them for long. I'll need to pull out all the stops." His smile grew as he stopped right next to Samehada. "Perfect."

* * *

**Naruto and Hinata verses Kisame Hoshigaki. Thanks to the summer break, it has been a while since I had a fight scene in this story. For some reason, starting a fight always seems to be the hardest part for me. Every fight has to have the appropriate amount of banter and setup before actually beginning. This always changes based on how much I believe the characters like to talk.**

**I'm going to pull something interesting in the next chapter. It was something I planed to do from the first chapter of the story, though it went through some recent revisions so that it would match up with something I guessed about Naruto's storyline thanks to chapter 510. This will be awesome for the few who bother reading this far. The title of the next chapter is a big clue.  
**

**I'm sure that there are a lot of questions for this chapter, and they will be answered in due time. I hardly forget anything.**

**Next Chapter: Yondō.**


	72. Yondō: Chapter 72

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character while still being inside of the mind of the character that paragraph focuses on._

"**Bold thoughts are being transferred to the known recipient with others being unaware of the communication."**

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Ultimate Shinobi. Udekazari wastes no time in explaining that he is not human. This leads into a conversation on the original Sage of Six Paths. Udekazari explains that he is the last of the Sage's creations. He also lets them know that he was familiar with the ancient ancestors of their clans, including Hinata's mother. Before he could explain further, Udekazari is interrupted by the appearance by an unknown girl wearing mostly white. After some provocation, she threatens him. Udekazari then reveals an ability that he calls Izanagi and creates a kunai out of midair. He then reveals her to be the Nanabi jinchuriki, causing her to launch a failed attack. After he explains his intangibility, Udekazari senses a malevolent presence nearby. He turns to Naruto and Hinata and quickly explains the abilities that bracelets grant them before disappearing into the wrist-wear. Hinata scans ahead, discovering that the malevolent presence was a member of Akatsuki. The pair test their new telepathic communication as the unknown jinchuriki begins getting frustrated. She recklessly charges after the threat much to the pair's shock. As they face the S-classed missing-nin, Hinata is the first to make a serious move, remembering that this member was Kisame Hoshigaki. As she fights against him, Naruto seizes a chance to hit Kisame in the back with his Rasengan. The man is blasted away, giving the pair a chance to prepare.)

0000000000000000

**I looked at the previous chapter and decided that the way that I had Naruto and Hinata transferring their thoughts to on another didn't flow too well. The difference will be between whether the sentences are bold or not.**

**10-24-10**

**Yondō**

Kisame forced himself to stand and reached out to grab Samehada. Once he took hold of his weapon, Kisame used it to help stand. He chuckled as he looked at his two opponents. "This won't be easy. Their taijutsu is really strong so they don't even have to use jutsu much. The jutsu they do use are short ranged and come too fast to defend myself with Samehada. This is the first time that I was forced to do this."

Naruto smiled as he watched Kisame stand up. "**He's pretty hurt Hinata-chan. I got him good.**"

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "**Not yet Naruto-kun. I can tell that he is very confident.**"

Kisame reached over to the base of Samehada and tore off all the bandages. A few seconds passed before Samehada began to enlarge by half its size. The individual scales lengthened and stuck out like hellish needles. Their eyes widened as the massive weapon curved over and fused into Kisame's chest. After a few seconds of pulsations the weapon released its self, causing all the injuries caused by Naruto's Rasengan were completely gone. This was defiantly not a show as Kisame completely stopped showing signs of injury as he held the end of Samehada just over the ground. Finally, the tip of the opened up the end; revealing a mouth filled by rows of shark teeth.

The green haired Jinchuriki leaned back on her hands, looking on at the tense air. "What … is this? It's like every part of me is telling me this is not the kind of fight I want to be part off. Even so, I truly want to see just how powerful these three are."

Kisame brought his arm back while before swinging widely. Samehada stretched along an arch and attacked the pair from the side. Both dodged in the direction away from the attack. Kisame smirked. "Fine with me." Samehada clamped its teeth on the ground and straighten. With one strong pull, Kisame pulled himself forward rapidly. "My mission comes first."

Hinata's eyes widened as she realized what was happening. "**He's after that girl. We have to protect her best we can.**"

Before Naruto could even get in a position to move, Hinata was already on the attack. "How does Hinata-chan move like that?"

Kisame noticed her coming from the corner of his vision. "She won't be giving me many chances." He turned to face Hinata and trusted Samehada towards her. Without hesitation, the Hyuga reached out and grabbed Samehada by the lip and stopped the thrust instantly. This caught Kisame by surprise. "Someone crazy enough to grab Samehada like that actually exists."

The sentient weapon tried to bite Hinata's finger's off, but couldn't extend its jaw forward. "**Now's your chance Naruto-kun.**" Naruto came in from the side with yet another Giant Rasengan. Seeing this, Kisame quickly and easily pulled Samehada in the way of the attack, even pulling out the ground Hinata's feet were chakra glued to. As Samehada consumed the jutsu, Hinata's eyes widened. She released Samehada and stepped back. "That was close. If I held on for a single second more, he would have shredded my arms."

Kisame smirked. "Good instincts kid."

Hinata backed away quickly. "**Hold him off Naruto-kun.**" Hinata deactivated her Byakugan and relaxed all the muscles in her body. She took on a simple fighting stance and slowly moved her hands around as if building a barrier. "Streaming Seikuken." Hinata watched as Naruto used the normal level Seikuken to help in avoiding a quick attack to his head.

Kisame noticed Hinata coming in from the side. He faced her while making sure to keep Samehada in Naruto's way. He narrowed his eyes at the look in Hinata's eyes. "Is it possible for someone's eyes to look that dead." He grinned. "No~. Those eyes are more like someone who has nothing left to lose." Kisame acted to hit Hinata with the back of his fist, but she ducked under it at the last moment. Kisame could feel her hairs in his fist's path along with a single microsecond of touching her scalp. "That was as flawless as Itachi."

Hinata quickly closed the small distance and looked Kisame up in the eye. "Gungnir." Kisame dodged Hinata's first strike, only to be hit square in the face. The constant stream of attacks pushed him back and forced him to release Samehada.

Just knowing that Naruto was going to attack, Kisame quickly jumped back. "This is getting to be too much." He quickly raced through hand-seals. "Water Style: Exploding Water Shock Wave!" Kisame opened his mouth and spit out an enormous amount of water.

Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened. They jumped up and used their chakra to stand upon the water. The green haired Taki shinobi was not as lucky as she was swept away. She was knocked unconscious when the water slammed her against a large tree.

Using the distraction his jutsu provided, Kisame took hold of Samehada again. He noticed the Nanabi jinchuriki lying right in front of a large tree. "Perfect." Before he could even make a move, Naruto and Hinata managed to get past the powerful waves he released. Kisame's happy expression sobered. "You've forced me to release Samehada twice now. There won't be a third time." Kisame removed his Akatsuki cloak and gripped Samehada tightly. The eyes of Naruto and Hinata widened as they watched the hilt of Samehada fuse into Kisame's arm. Within a short time, Samehada was gone and Kisame was completely transformed. His elbows have massive fins sticking out for at least forty centimeters. His hands and feet became webbed. Massive scales on his arms and the extensions past his elbows overlapped each other all along the length. The upper body and the neck fused into one thick trunk with large gills on both sides. His head was definable by his face, eyes, chin, and mouth. A dorsal fin starting from the forehead made a line all along Kisame's spin until reaching the waist. Sticking out from there was a large tail that tapered off at two/third's Kisame's full height. Kisame looked towards the nearby waterfall and pond. "That looks like enough water."

Hinata's eyes widened as she felt something strange through Kisame's eyes. "**He's up to something Naruto-kun.**" Both acted to attack Kisame, with Hinata in front. "Gungnir." Hinata attacked the transformed Kisame rapidly, but the attacks appeared to have no effect.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu." A clone appeared and began preparing another Giant Rasengan in the original's hand. The pair charged forward with the attack in hand. "GIANT RASENGAN!" Kisame smiled and grabbed Hinata's arm just after she hit him. He spun and tossed her out of the way. Naruto tried to slam his jutsu against Kisame's back, but it disappeared as it came in contact with him.

Kisame quickly turned around, destroying Naruto's clone with his tail. He reached out and grabbed the original. "Too bad kid. When I'm in this form, I absorb any chakra I come in contact with." He placed his free hand on Naruto's head. "I'll need your chakra to finish my jutsu." In a matter of seconds, the water in the area began to collect into dome one hundred meters wide and fifty meters high.

"**NARUTO-KUN!**" Hinata tried to get to him as quickly as possible, but she could not move very quickly. "Out of all the things Arashi-shishō taught me, I can't believe swimming isn't among them."

Naruto's consciousness started to fade quickly. "He's draining my chakra like crazy. I couldn't go Sage Mode even if I can't move. None of my jutsu will work either. I can't even fight in this water." He suddenly regained focus. "That should work." Naruto put his hands at his side with his palms facing his self.

Kisame's eyes widened. "That's the stance he used when he knocked away Samehada." As Naruto's left arm moved backwards, his right fist struck forward with extraordinary force. This was in vain however as Kisame quickly swum above the attack. Kisame could tell by the vibrations in the water that Naruto's punch would have done serious damage if it hit. "How was that punch so strong." He took notice of Naruto's left arm. "That's it. When his left moved back, the resistance of the water was transferred all the way to his fist. That takes a lot of coordination." He noticed Hinata coming in from the other direction. "I need to drop this jutsu soon."

Hinata's eyes widened as Kisame swam towards her. Even though her Streaming Seikuken faded, she could easily tell what was in his eyes. "I can't get away."

Five spines grew out of Kisame's right fin. In a last effort, Hinata grabbed two of the spines just before he slammed them into her. He smiled while swimming in an arch. "I almost feel bad having to kill such tenacious prey." He took his right fist and hit Hinata right in the abdomen. In his follow-through, Hinata was slammed into the ground. Kisame looked down as all the air in her lungs escaped. "Good by Hinata Hyuga."

Naruto's eyes widened as he watched Kisame's face meet Hinata. He couldn't see what was happening, but he could see Hinata stop moving and a stream of blood flowing up in the water. "**HINATA-CHAN~~~!**" Naruto gripped his head as he felt a familiar unwanted voice in his head. "_Are you angry? Who made you angry? Who do you want to kill?_ NO! I'M NOT GIVING YOU ANY CONTROL! _What have you got to lose? She's already dead!_ I WON'T BELIEVE YOU! YOU'RE NEVER TAKING OVER AGAIN!_ Face it Naruto … you are weak. You can't do anything without me. I'M THE REASON YOU GOT THIS FAR!_ THAT … that's not true. _YOU'RE NOT EVEN SURE~ OF YOURSELF GAKI!_"

Naruto felt himself being pulled within the realms of his own mind. When he looked up, Naruto could see the cage of the Kyubi with the beast behind the bars. "NOW~~~! ACCEPT MY POWER WORM!"

Naruto stood motionlessly as a wave of bright red bubbling chakra washed towards him. "Not yet." The eyes of both Naruto and the Kyubi widened as a wall of similarly colored chakra blocked the Kyubi's. The only visible difference between the two was that this other chakra reached all the way to the ceiling and flowed within its area far more smoothly. "That is far enough Yang Kyubi."

Naruto looked back to see Udekazari. The elderly looking man was wrapped in the same kind of red chakra as the wall between them and the Kyubi. "Jiji~."

The Kyubi became furious as his chakra was forced back. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE! HOW DARE YOU STAND IN MY WAY!"

Udekazari looked the Biju in the eyes, shocking it into silence. Udekazari then turned his attention to Naruto. "I believe we need a change of venue." The moment the elderly man placed a hand on Naruto, they disappeared.

The Kyubi growled in frustration. He turned back as he heard the other entity behind him stirring. "THAT WAS UNEXPECTED. EVEN I THOUGHT THAT WE WERE HIS LAST CREATION. ALL WE CAN DO IS SIT BACK AND WATCH WHAT HAPPENS."

"DON'T MESS WITH ME! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOU~ … MY YIN HALF IS ANY BETTER THAN ME!"

A shadowy blue chakra gave form to the being behind the complicated array of bars marked with seven papers with seal written on them. It was a dark blue Kyubi. "I AM IN NO WAY BETTER THAN YOU. BEFORE THIS SEPARATION, I WAS THE HIDDEN FORCE THAT GAVE YOU FORM; AND YOU WERE THE FORCE THAT GAVE ME ACTION. I ACCEPTED ALL YOU DID AND LIKE NOW, WILL ACCEPT WHATEVER HAPPENS."

The red Kyubi glared at his other half. "I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT ANY PART OF THE TRUE KYUBI COULD BE THIS PASSIVE!"

The blue Kyubi narrowed his eyes calmly. "YOU DO NO UNDERSTAND THE POWER THAT COMES WITH BEING PASSIVE. THOSE ALIGNED WITH YANG OFTEN CANNOT SEE THIS. WAITING PATENTLY IS ALL WE CAN DO NOW."

**Naruto and Udekazari:**

Naruto looked around rapidly. He could tell that he was moving quickly, but he had no clue in what direction. Before he could ask anything, they stopped. Naruto looked around again. The scenery was simple black background with six pillars surrounding them. Four of the pillars were a dingy grey. Two on the forward right side glowed a whiter color. "What is this place Jiji?"

"That is not important right now Naruto-dono. I can feel Hinata-dono's life fading right now."

Naruto's eyes widened. "That's right. Hinata-chan! You have to let me out there!"

"And what will you do. Without Hinata-dono's aid, this foe is too strong for you. He has also taken most of your chakra. Additionally, you have only one way to heal her."

Naruto's eyes widened. "HOW!"

"I explained earlier. You can not only transfer thoughts, but chakra and health. This is how you can heal her."

"THEN WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR!"

"I must warn you. The injuries she has will be transferred to you."

"I DON'T CARE!"

"It will be painful."

"I _WILL_ SAVE HER!"

"Why?"

Naruto's expression became sober. "B-because I, I."

"You love her?" Naruto's eyes slowly widened. "I will allow it."

An instant later, Naruto found himself looking at the same scene that he was pulled away from. Kisame lifted his head from Hinata, blood flowing away from his teeth. "I have to save her."

Kisame looked at the exhausted Naruto. He then looked at the Nanabi jinchuriki. "It won't be good if they drown." In a matter of seconds, the water in the area slowly began disappearing. All that was left was numerous puddles. "The others will be ecstatic when I bring in the Nanabi and the Kyubi." He began separating himself from Samehada.

Naruto slowly lifted himself, coughing the water out his lungs. He then focused his attention on Hinata, completely ignoring Kisame's presence. "**Live.**" As he willed Hinata's condition to improve, Naruto could feel wounds opening in his throat.

Kisame, now holding Samehada in his hands, could only watch this in shock. "What in the world is happening? Where are those wounds coming from?" Kisame looked back and saw those same wounds disappearing from Hinata. "What is this?"

Hearing Naruto's thoughts, Hinata slowly rose. "What's happening? I thought I was dead." She moaned, allowing her to realize that her throat was in pain, but quickly recovering. When she looked at Naruto, her eyes widened in shock. She would have screamed, but her throat was too hoarse. She noticed the bracelet on his arm glowing slightly. "**What's happening Naruto-kun?**"

He smiled at her. "**I'm healing you.**"

It took her a moment to realize what was happening. "**DON'T YOU DARE! I WON'T LET YOU DIE JUST BECAUSE I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH!**" Just like Naruto, Hinata began willing that his condition improves. Like Naruto's, her bracelet began glowing faintly.

Kisame watched in astonishment as the wounds he inflicted started reappearing on Hinata. The injuries soon reached a middle point where they looked the same on both. He then began noticing the bracelets on their arms, which began glowing more brightly. The light of the bracelets quickly transgressed onto all of their bodies. Just as quickly, their bodies began shifting, as if ready to break apart in a moment's notice. Before he could even think of doing anything, they exploded in a massive number of tiny blue and red spheres. "Impossible."

The many spheres collected into a large sphere two meters high. The rapid spiraling of red and blue turned the sphere violet. Kisame stood his guard as he prepared himself for anything that could happen. As this happened, the green haired jinchuriki woke. She shivered. "Why am I soaked?" She opened her eyes and looked on at the scene. She recognized Kisame, but the violet sphere was completely unexpected. "What is that?"

The sphere compressed as time passed, resembling a human shape more and more with each passing second. It soon took the full shape of a human with shoulder length spiky hair. The light faded, giving more detail and color on the individual. The person was male with a very soft face. He appeared to be around one-hundred and seventy centimeters tall. He wore a sagely cloak of a single grey color. He wore four tomoe shaped beads around his neck. Kisame narrowed his eyes at the man. "What … who are you?"

He opened his eyes. They looked just like the Byakugan, except he had a tiny yet clearly visible pupil. "You may call me Yondō."

The young green hair kunoichi blushed. "He's so hot."

Kisame narrowed his eyes. "Yondō? You call yourself four paths?"

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**And there we have it. This chapter is the turning point for the story. Right now I am trying to hold off on giving the Nanabi Jinchuriki a name. I'm hoping that Kishimoto will give her an official name. If he doesn't, I'll have to use Fu as the only available name.**

**Next Chapter: Sequel Announcement.**


	73. SEQUEL ANNOUNCEMENT!

Underlined speech is thought.

_Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character._

_Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character while still being inside of the mind of the character that paragraph focuses on._

**Bold thoughts are being transferred to the known recipient with others being unaware of the communication.**

CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.

These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.

Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.

Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.

**Bold words are author notes.**

(Previously on The Most Powerful Duo. Hurt by the Rasengan Naruto managed to hit him with, Kisame released the bandages surrounding Samehada. This allowed the weapon to take its true form. Kisame once again started fighting against the pair, taking whatever chance he could to attack the Nanabi jinchuriki. After some time of admiring Naruto and Hinata's level of skill, Kisame unleashed a massive amount of water through one of his jutsu. He then took Samehada into his hands and underwent a fusion with the weapon that made Kisame more shark-like than ever. Hinata could no longer push him back an Naruto's Rasengan was absorbed. Kisame used this chance to use Naruto's chakra to help him form a massive water dome. In this environment, Kisame easily dominated them. As he saw Hinata receive a fatal injury before his eyes, Naruto was pulled into his mind by the Kyubi. The demon tried to force his chakra onto Naruto, but Udekazari formed a barrier. When they left, the Kyubi had a conversation with his Yin half. After talking with Udekazari, Naruto woke again. He used the power of the bracelets they received to take Hinata's injuries on himself. She woke from her near death state and realized what was happening and tried to take back her injuries. In the fight to heal the other, both their bodies broke apart and combined into a new entity; Yondou.)

* * *

**SEQUEL ANNOUNCEMENT!**

**I've had two people mention to me that it would be a good idea to put a end to this story and split off into a sequel. I thought about it and decided that it would be a good idea. The first chapter will be a large recap of this entire story. The second will be the start up of the fight between Yondou and Kisame. I've developed a bunch of new ideas that only seem to make my story better.**

**New Story Name: The Greatest Sage.  
**


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